Lost money to a
Romance Scam?

How to Spot a Romance Scam

1. 1

   You came across the person on social media or through a dating site

   You may receive an out of the blue message on social media contacting you requesting to chat about normal things. Fraudsters also regularly use dating sites such as Tinder to find victims. They will act interested at first and conduct a normal conversation before looking to switch to WhatsApp or social media.

2. 2

   A seemingly legitimate story

   After initially contacting you and asking details about yourself, they will respond with a well thought of story about themselves. These can be different types of stories, however we usually see that they work away for work for example in the army, or at sea where they are away from home for months at a time. This is a tactic to create a back story for what comes next. They also use the story as to why they cannot meet in person.

3. 3

   Pressure for funds

   After they have gained the victims trust, fraudsters will use this to their advantage. They will look to request funds from the victim and use multiple different reasons as to why they need the funds. Depending on the initial story they created, they will pressure the victim to send them funds. At Refundee we have seen multiple reasons for this with some of the most common being;

   They are an expert trader on crypto or investments and they can make you money too

   They need money to help their family as their funds have been frozen

   They need money in order to return home from their job

   They have been falsely imprisoned and need money to leave

   It is important to know that fraudsters are experienced in creating their story and they can make it seem very believable. It is always good to step back and think, why is someone I have never met asking for money from me?

4. 4

   You were encouraged to “start small” by sending small amounts first

   Fraudsters will usually ask you to send smaller amounts first, but as you do this they will increase the amounts they ask for, and the reasons as to why they need it will become even more and more serious. In investment/crypto cases this will increase with you receiving returns at the start or they will show you how much your investment has made, which is faked by the scammer.

   You can read more about crypto and investment scams on our website.

5. 5

   The request for funds don’t stop

   Once you have sent the fraudster money, they will not stop until you no longer have any more money to send. They are relentless and will pressure you to invest your life savings until you realise they are not real. If you think you are the victim of this, it is important not to send any more money.

6. 6

   They threaten you when you stop paying

   Once the fraudsters stop receiving payments they will threaten or blackmail you into sending further funds. It is important not to send funds as this will continue until you eventually cut contact with them. You can read more about this on our Sextortion post.

7. 7

   If you are experiencing any of the issues above

   If you are experiencing any of the issues above, or concerned about your situation you can check if you’re eligible by, starting your claim.