Emotional fraud

What are Romance Scams?

There are lots of different types of romance scams circulating, but, in general, they are all cons that involve the scammer pretending to have romantic feelings towards their victim. The aim is to lure in the intended mark to eventually persuade them to give or send money or gifts to the scammer. Now, these cons often begin on platforms such as Tinder and other dating sites.
Romance scams can have devastating consequences for those that have fallen victim to them. As well as losing money and/or possessions of value, the victim is usually left broken-hearted, feeling extremely vulnerable, and may have trouble forming a trusting relationship for a significant time. This type of scam is particularly cruel and can have long-term effects on the people who have found themselves entangled in one.

Common Types of Romance Scams
Here are the main types of romance scams that are currently circulating:
The ‘Classic’ Romance Scam
In this scenario, an individual using a dating site or app will be contacted or matched with a potential partner and get chatting with them. This person, however, is a scammer and will attempt to begin the process of getting close to their mark and appear to want to develop a relationship with them. Things could move quickly, and the victim may feel flattered and that they’ve met the perfect match they’ve been looking for.
The scammer will often push to meet quickly and may bombard their victim with messages declaring their feelings and plans for the future. At some point, however, the con artist will request money or a gift. They may appear extremely convincing in their request, using the emotional connection they’ve carefully crafted with their mark to persuade them to acquiesce to the request without becoming suspicious.
Once money or gifts have been given, the requests for more will come frequently until, typically, the victim will begin to realize what’s happening and questions the scammer. At this point, the con artist will usually either become aggressive or - more likely - when it becomes apparent that no more funds will be forthcoming - disappear into thin air.

The ‘Pig Butchering’ Scam
The so-called ‘Pig Butchering’ scam is a relatively new con that originated in China in 2020: it combines a romance scam with an investment scam. The con unfolds like the ‘traditional’ romance scam as outlined above. However, once the scammer has successfully feigned romantic feelings for and secured a connection with their victim, they will request (or advise) their mark to invest in a fake or fraudulent business.
Statistics have shown that, since this scam emerged a few years ago, the majority of its victims have been well-educated women in their 20s and 30s; and that the average amount of money a victim loses to it is a staggering $98,000.

The ‘Military’ Romance Scam
This is another widespread romance scam. In this case, a con artist will undertake research to create a convincing persona, uploading their details onto a dating site in the guise of a member of the military. The scammer will usually target an individual who they’ve discovered has shown support for or who has some connection to the military: they can find this information from reading profiles or by scouring relevant Facebook groups.
Once the scammer has identified a vulnerable target, the typical pattern will unfold: a relationship will be sought that escalates quickly. Within a short space of time, money or gift cards will be sought. When the victim asks to meet, the scammer will claim that they’re currently posted overseas.

Identity Theft
This type of romance scam isn’t concerned with persuading a victim to directly part with their funds but, instead, is about identity theft. This con typically involves a victim (who is active on a dating site) being sent an email from an individual they’ve matched with. The mark will be invited to click on a link to view some photos of the person they’ve connected with.
Unfortunately, once this link is clicked on, the scammer can access their victim’s device and therefore harvest a multitude of personal details. These could include the victim’s date of birth, address, credit card number, and banking information and could be used to raid accounts or to take out a loan, for example, in the victim’s name.
Money Muling
With this romance scam, the victim that the scammer has targeted, and has given the impression of forming a close connection with, is persuaded to move illicit funds as a way to launder money. The con artist will send the victim money, phones, or valuable possessions and convince them to send these items elsewhere.
Steering clear of this type of scam is vital; victims may find themselves embroiled in a wide-ranging criminal network that could be both difficult and dangerous to extricate themselves from.