Scammers give love a bad name: Learn how to spot romance scam warning signs this Valentine’s Day

Ahead of Valentine’s Day this year, consumer protection agencies across Australia are reminding people of the warning signs and common behaviours of romance and dating scammers, advising consumers not to be complacent.

While there are many success stories of people who’ve met through dating apps and websites and social media, there are also significant risks involved in looking for romance online.

In 2022, Australians reported losses of more than $38 million to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s Scamwatch division as a result of romance and dating scams, with the highest amount of losses through social media platforms.

Romance scams are continually evolving, with would-be scammers using a range of digital platforms to target their victims, including gaming platforms and social media – not being on a dating site doesn’t mean you are safe from romance scammers.

People reporting to Scamwatch aged 65 years and over lost the most money to dating and romance scams in 2022, with losses of over $12 million, while people aged 35-44 reported the majority of the losses.

Scammers typically create false online profiles designed to lure you in. They may use a fictional name, or take on the identities of real, trusted people such as military personnel, aid workers, or professionals working abroad. They might have an appealing profile, claim to have similar likes and dislikes to you, or to have gone through similar experiences.

Scammers will often express strong feelings for you in a relatively short period of time, and can spend many months building up trust before they ask for money.

Here are some common warning signs to consider if you’re dating online:

• The person you’ve met online quickly wants to move communications away from the dating website or app. For example, they might want to communicate with you via email, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp, or Signal.
• After gaining your trust over time, they ask you to send money to help cover costs with illness, injury, business expenses, duty or customs fees, legal costs, family crises, or travel. Scammers are creative, so this list shouldn’t be considered exhaustive.
• They keep making excuses about meeting in person or they are always unavailable for a video call.
• If you don’t send money straight away, their messages and calls become more desperate, persistent or direct. If you do send money, they continue to ask you to send more.

Follow these tips to keep safe when dating online:

• Before you let someone know you’re interested in them, do some checks. Do a reverse-image search using Google or TinEye to check if their profile image is legitimate.
• Arrange to meet in person, or ask to speak via video.
• Avoid any arrangement with a stranger that asks for upfront payment through money order, wire transfer, international funds transfer, pre-loaded card or gift card, or electronic currency, like bitcoin. It is rare to recover money sent this way in the event it is a scam. Never share your banking or credit card details with someone you’ve never met in person.
• Be cautious about how much personal information you share on social network sites. Scammers can use your information and pictures to create a fake identity or to target you with a scam.
• If you’ve already given your bank account details to a scammer, contact your bank or financial institution immediately to stop any further losses.

Many romance scam victims not only lose money, but they also experience fraud – for example, they discover that new mobile phone accounts have been set up in their name, or the scammer has accessed their superannuation account. Be careful with the personal information you share with the person you’re dating online, and never share your personal identification documents like a driver’s licence or passport.

If you think your friend or family member is a victim of a romance scam, talk to them about the warning signs and our tips on staying safe.

Contact IDCARE if you or someone you know has fallen victim to identity theft. It’s important to act quickly to reduce any potential for further damage. IDCARE is a free, government-funded service which will work with you to develop a specific response plan to your situation and support you through the process. Visit www.idcare.org or call 1300 IDCARE (432273).

You can report scams to the national Scamwatch service at scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam

For more information, visit scamwatch.gov.au/types-of-scams/dating-romance

You can also find further information about other types of scams on our website, visit https://consumeraffairs.nt.gov.au/for-consumers/scams