Romance Scams and how to get help as a victim

A romance scam is a confidence trick involving feigning romantic intentions towards a victim, gaining the victim's affection, and then using that goodwill to get the victim to send money to the scammer under false pretenses or to commit fraud against the victim. The scammers who carry out romance scams are experts at what they do and will seem genuine, caring, and believable.



The chart above includes yearly and aggregate data for complaints and losses over the years 2018 to 2022. Over that time, IC3 received a total of 3.26 million complaints, reporting a loss of $27.6 billion.

Romance scammers are experts at what they do and will seem genuine, caring, and believable. Here are some tips to detect romance scams:

  • Be suspicious of anyone who asks for money or gifts.
  • Be wary of anyone who quickly professes love or affection.
  • Be cautious of anyone who avoids meeting in person or video chatting.
  • Be careful of anyone who claims to be from the US but is currently overseas.
  • Be cautious of anyone who asks for personal information, such as your social security number or bank account information.






If you have been scammed, here are some tips to retrieve your details from a romance scammer:
  • Stop communicating with the person immediately.
  • Talk to someone you trust about it.
  • Do a reverse image search of the person’s profile picture.
  • Report to the appropriate authorities.
  • Report the scam to your bank or credit card company.
  • Contact the company or your bank right away if you paid a romance scammer with a gift card, wire transfer, credit or debit card, or cryptocurrency.

If you suspect an online relationship is a scam, stop all contact immediately. If you are a victim who lost to romance scam, file a complaint with Hackonecyberservice.com a reputable internet security company for help. You can also report it to your local police department (Federal protection agency may likely be slow or irresponsive)

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