Romance Scams Overview
A "Romance Scam" is a fraudulent scheme where a scammer poses as a romantic interest to gain the victim's trust and affection.
Romance scams are also known as "long-con" scams, in that scammers will invest a significant amount of time and effort into building a relationship with their victims. These types of scams often extend over several months or even years. During this time, the scammer may not ask for money as the goal is to gain trust and emotional attachment from their victim.
While romance scams can happen to to anyone, older people - especially those that may have detailed public social media profiles - are particularly vulnerable. Scammers look for their victims on social media, dating websites, chats, and even conduct research within local obituaries.
How Romance Scams Operate
As mentioned above, a scammer will look for a victim and conduct reconnaissance to match someone against a criteria that measures how susceptible they may be. This criteria varies widely, but the following are indicators a scammer might look for:
Loneliness: A scammer may look for a target that has been recently divorced or widowed, which makes them more susceptible to emotional connection and companionship.
Trust: A scammer will analyze their victim and may even use a separate account to determine how trusting their victim is when interacting with an unknown person.
Financial Stability: Scammers often target individuals with financial resources, such as retirement savings, home equity, or other equitable assets. The more financial resources the victim has, the more effort the scammer will put into the scam.
Isolation: Scammers will determine how close their victim is to friends and family. In most circumstances, the more isolated the person is, the easier it is for the scammer to take advantage of them.
Once the scammer has chosen a victim, they will begin the facade of a romantic relationship. The scammer will employ various tactics to manipulate their victims, including:
- Creating A Compelling Online Persona: Scammers will often use stolen photos of attractive people and craft elaborate backstories.
The emergence of Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) technology has also provided scammers with a method of generating profile pictures of factitious people.
Love Bombing: Scammers will shower their victims with compliments, affection, and promises of a future together.
Isolation Tactics: Scammers will employ social engineering techniques to isolate their victims further from their friends and family. They may even discourage their victim from talking to friends or family about the relationship.
Once the scammer has built enough trust with their victim, the scammer will begin asking for money. Just as the actual romance scam can vary dramatically, so too can the method in which the scammer asks for money. However, usually the scammer will invent a financial crisis or medical emergency to pressure victims into sending money.
Another common tactic a scammer might employ is the promise of visiting their victim in person. The scammer will ask the victim to cover travel expenses only to "cancel" their travel at the last minute.
The reason romance scams are so effective, albeit devastating, is because of the psychological effect it has on the victim. A victim may have a difficult time believing they're being scammed despite the overwhelming evidence or their own rising suspicion.
What to Do if You're Targeted
Learn to recognize the following "red-flags":
Photos Without Personal Details: The scammer may use a profile that contains overly polished (professional looking) images without casual snapshots or personal belongings. This remains especially true if the scammer is using A.I. technology to create entirely fictitious pictures.
Inconsistent Information: The details about their life or job might not add up.
Avoidance of Video Calls: If you're dealing with a scammer, they will typically avoid video calls altogether.
Pressure To Move The Conversation Elsewhere: The scammer will often pressure their victim into moving their personal conversations to another platform. This usually entails using applications such as WhatsApp or Telegram. This occurs most frequently when talking with a scammer on a dating site.
Requests for Money: The scammer will ask for money for various emergencies, such as health-related procedures, or travel.
Pressure to Invest: The scammer might suggest overly lucrative investment schemes or opportunities.
Gift Card Requests: The scammer might ask for gift cards for various reasons.
Isolation Tactics: The scammer might try to isolate you from friends and family, or ask that you keep your relationship private.
Overly Dramatic Stories: A scammer might share tales of misfortune or hardship to gain sympathy.
If any of these "red-flags" exist, ignore the message and block the user immediately. You should also report the user if the platform they've contact you through allows for it.
Preventing Romance Scams
Limit Information Sharing: Remember, scammers will perform research on their victim prior to engaging in the scam. Be mindful of what personal information you share online, especially on social media.
Use Reputable Dating Sites: Research dating platforms and choose those with strong security measures.
Money Requests: If someone asks for money, gift cards, or brings up investment opportunities - it's likely a scam.
Trust your instincts; if something "feels off" about a person and you're becoming increasingly suspicious, it's probably a good indication you're talking to a scammer.
