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    Romance Scam Red Flags

    $1.3 billion/yr lost to romance scams.

    Scammer playbook

    1. Profile picture is too good — model, soldier, doctor, oil rig worker.
    2. Love-bombs you within days. "I've never felt this way."
    3. Always overseas. Working / military / oil platform.
    4. Refuses video chat. Always "bad connection".
    5. Eventually has emergency: medical bill, customs fee, business deal.
    6. Asks for $500-50,000+ via wire / gift cards / crypto.
    7. Promises to repay 10x.
    8. Vanishes when payment stops or victim wakes up.

    Red flags — every scammer has them

    • Profile: only 1-3 photos. Too perfect.
    • "Widowed with one daughter" sob story common.
    • Wants to move to text/email/WhatsApp fast (off the dating app).
    • Says "I love you" within 1-3 weeks.
    • "My phone is broken" excuses video chat.
    • Spelling/grammar weird sometimes.
    • Story doesn't add up between conversations.
    • ALWAYS ends in money request.

    Test them

    • Reverse image search — save photo, upload to images.google.com. Often shows it's a stolen model photo.
    • Demand video chat within 1 week. Real people will. Scammers won't.
    • "Ask grandkid to verify" — show their profile to your tech-savvy grandchild. Outside view spots scams fast.
    • Google their stories — copy/paste their exact words. Often appear on other scam victims' reports.
    • NEVER send money — to ANYONE you haven't met in person. Period.

    If you've been scammed

    1. Stop sending money IMMEDIATELY.
    2. Call your bank. Stop pending wires.
    3. Report to FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
    4. Report to FBI IC3 at IC3.gov.
    5. Tell trusted family. Don't hide from shame — it happened to millions.
    6. Therapy helps. The grief of romantic betrayal is real.
    7. Money rarely recovered — but reporting helps protect others.

    "I'm too smart for this"

    Lawyers, doctors, teachers, military officers — all get scammed. Loneliness is the vulnerability, not intelligence. Scammers are professionals. They have scripts. They train. The defense is ONE rule: never send money to someone you haven't met in person.

    Romance Scam Red Flags | TekSure