What is a Romance Scam?

It involves a perpetrator creating a fake online persona to form a romantic relationship with the victim to gain trust and defraud them by taking money.

What are Common Types of Romance Scam?

Following are some of the types of romance scams:

Fake Profiles

Creating fake profiles online, mostly on dating sites, and using fabricated stories to ask for money is fraud. These scammers also use attractive photos and trigger backstories to lure victims into trusting them.

Emotional Scams

Targeting the individuals who have recently lost a spouse or are divorced, offering emotional support and companionship, and gradually asking for money.

They also use the tactic of manipulating emotions and taking advantage of vulnerable moments to gain financial benefits.

Emergency Requests

Scammers claim to work overseas or are on holiday and use the remote location as an excuse to demand financial help as they are in an emergency. These kinds of fake crises often involve fake accidents or sudden, unexpected expenses commonly used by financial criminals.

Inheritance Fraud

Use inheritance scams as they build some relation with the victim over time; they claim that he is about to receive a large sum of money in inheritance but lacks the resources to pay taxes and legal fees and demand money for that and promise to share the money when secured.

Business Scams

Convincing a lucrative business opportunity that needs financial backing in this way persuades the victim to invest money with the promise of high returns. Such scams usually come with fake documents and fabricated testimonials to appear legitimate.

Illness Hoaxes

Fakes a severe illness, often involving elaborate stories and fake documents, then asks the victim for money to cover medical bills or other related expenses.  In some cases, scammers may even stage hospital visits or doctor calls to appear genuine.

Charity Fraud

Pretending to do charity work and working for a nonprofit organization asking for donations for a good cause, the money goes directly to the scammer. Emotionally, a tactic is also used by charged imagery and stories to pull at heartstrings and solicit funds.

Job Scams

Offering the victim a job with high pay and travel opportunities and then asking for money upfront for training, equipment, or travel expenses is a tactic often linked to money laundering. Victims often end up paying fees for a job that doesn’t exist in the first place.

Conclusion

Romance scams are increasing daily as Reporting of Romance Scams is often less because of the scammers’ embarrassment, shame, and manipulation.

These scams contribute to the loss of billions of dollars annually globally and are a severe threat to the financial and emotional well-being of vulnerable people.