4 ways to spot and avoid romance scams

With 1 in 5 Canadians putting a pause on dating because of the associated costs, it’s no wonder more are looking online for love. The internet can be a great tool to connect with people you might have never met, but it can be a double-edged sword. The progress of AI has made romance scams easier than ever to pull off and harder than ever to detect.

Keep yourself safe while looking for love online by asking yourself these four relationship scam detecting questions.

1. Are they too good to be true?

Romance scammers are known for “love bombing” targets. This means they'll shower you in affection and quickly confess deep feelings to get you hooked on their attention. It’s important to try being objective when looking for love online. Pretend a friend or family member is in your position, how would you feel about the relationship then?

Ask yourself questions like:

• Is this person unrealistically attractive?
• If they live far away, how did they find and contact me?
• Is there a large income or age gap between us?
• Are they reluctant to meet in-person or keep cancelling?

One of these doesn’t make someone a scammer—love comes in many forms—but this, coupled with other red flags can be a sign that your new-found love may be too good to be true.

2. Do they want to switch platforms?

If you met a scammer on a dating app or social media platform, they may not want to stick around for long. Scammers usually try to move conversations to platforms with encrypted messages to protect their identities and make it harder to collect evidence against them.

Always do your research into any app you’re asked to download and think carefully about why someone might want to change communication modes.

3. Is their information inconsistent?

Whether it’s online or offline, it’s always important to do your research when meeting someone new. Look up details like their name and place of work. You could also reverse image search photos they send. If their details don’t line up or they have no online presence, you should be suspicious.

If you met through social media, do some internet sleuthing on their profile: what kind of stuff do they post? How many friends do they have? Does the content they share line up with the person you’ve gotten to know? Scammers will sometimes steal inactive social media accounts or make new ones that look real at first glance, but fall apart after some digging.

AI has made detecting fake profiles more difficult but not impossible. These tools can fake photos and videos to create unique, realistic personas that can't be detected with a reverse image search. When trying to detect fake media, it's important to pay attention to the details. AI often struggles with consistency and small details like text, hands, and eyes. Scammers that use deep fake technology will be less willing to have live chats or video calls because the AI is likely to make mistakes. Find out more ways to detect AI photos and videos.

4. Are they asking for money or personal information?

Scammers aren’t in the business for fun; they're trying to get something from you. Be careful of online acquaintances who frequently have emergencies. Scammers will often use emotional manipulation and urgency to have you send money before fully thinking it through. They’re also likely to ask for financial help in the form of gift cards, crypto, or wire transfers because they are difficult to trace.

Recently, some scammers have stopped asking for money directly but instead offer to help you invest. They will recommend an investment app and promise to help you make money. This is called a pig butchering scam. The app they’ll ask you to download isn’t real and acts as a front for them to take your money. Always do your own research on any apps you download, especially those you plan to share your financial details on.

Scammers aren’t always after money. Some are interested in your personal information and identity theft. Be careful sharing personal details online and never give out your address, financial information, SIN, or photos of IDs like your passport or driver’s license. Scammers can use this information to steal your identity and use your credit.

Even if you haven’t shared your details online, it’s important to keep a close eye on your credit. Learn how to read your credit report and correct errors.

How can you protect yourself from relationship scams?

Online dating can be scary, but you can take some simple steps to protect your heart and personal information:

• Don’t share personal information. Keep your IDs and personal details private. Someone who is interested in these early in a relationship shouldn’t be trusted with them.
• Meet in person, in public. It’s hard to fake a face in person. Meeting in real life is a good way to find out who you’re really talking to. Be safe and make sure to meet in public and away from your home in case the person isn’t who they claim to be.
• Talk to someone. Have someone in your life you can talk about your relationship with and who you are willing to listen to. It’s easy to get blinded by love, but an outsider can be objective and help spot red flags you may have missed.
• Research, research, research. If you can’t verify their information, it’s a good idea to be suspicious. Look up key details about their stories with the word “scam” attached. Scammers will use the same persona and scripts over and over. Someone else online might have already caught on and shared their story.

What can I do if I’ve fallen victim to a romance scam?

Relationship scams are under reported because of the shame associated with them. It’s okay to make a mistake. Scammers have spent a long time perfecting their tactics and rely on you staying silent to catch their next victim. If you realize you’ve been caught in a scam, here are steps you can take to protect yourself and others:

1. Contact your bank and credit bureaus. It’s important to protect yourself first. Freeze any accounts or cards you might have given the scammer access to. Also request your credit for both the major credit bureaus to see if new accounts have been opened in your name.
2. Report the scammer. Report their profiles on any social media or dating apps. This can lock their account and prevent them from using it to scam more people. If you believe they are based in Canada, you can also contact local police to see if they can help.
3. Share your story. The best way to stop scammers is to make their stories public. Reach out to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre so they can update their scam watchlist.

What can I do if I lost money to a romance scam?

Scammers are good at their job. They can take tens of thousands of dollars before victims catch on. Once you start giving money, it can be hard to stop because it means admitting you were wrong. When someone you care about has a supposed emergency, it’s easy to be talked into giving beyond your means, but you don’t have to live with that debt.

If you are struggling financially because of love gone wrong or any other reason, there are debt solutions to help you find a fresh start. A Licensed Insolvency Trustee can review your finances and recommend your best road to debt freedom. Sign up for a free, no obligation consultation today on our website or by calling 1-844-4GT-DEBT.