If you’re looking for love, or the perfect gift for the love of your life, be alert to the signs of a scam.
Scammers use a range of channels to target victims, including social media, fake websites, gaming apps and dating apps. They’re usually after people’s money or personal information, leaving their victims broke and broken-hearted.
In 2023, Australians reported to Scamwatch losses of more than $30 million due to romance and dating scams, with the highest losses attributed to interactions on social media.
While people aged 55 - 64 years lost the most money to romance scams in 2023, with losses of over $10 million, the majority of reports came from people aged 35-44.
The scammer’s approach
Scammers may use a fake name or steal the identity of real people to fabricate their online profile. This can include military personnel, aid workers, or professionals working abroad. They might claim to have similar interests or experiences to you.
Scammers may quickly express strong feelings for you and want to communicate with you over email, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp or Signal.
They may spend many months building up trust, before asking for money. They may say they need money due to illness, injury, business expenses, legal costs, family crises or travel. If you don’t send money immediately, their messages become more desperate, persistent or direct. If you do send money, they continue to ask for more.
Tips to avoid a dating scam
• Use an image search service such as Google or TinEye to check if their profile image is legitimate. Follow the prompts to either upload the person's image or paste the image URL into the search tool.
• Arrange to meet in person early on (in a public and safe location) or ask to speak via video. Be wary if they keep making excuses about why they can’t meet you or they’re always unavailable for a video call.
• Avoid any arrangement that involves paying money. This includes via money order, wire transfer, international funds transfer, pre-loaded card, gift card, or electronic currency, like bitcoin. It can be impossible to recover money sent through these methods to a scammer.
• Never share your banking or credit card details with someone you’ve never met in person.
• Be cautious how many personal details you share on social media, and never share your personal identification documents like a driver’s licence or passport. Scammers can use your information to create a fake identity and commit fraud – e.g. set up a mobile phone account in your name or access your superannuation account.
• Be scam aware when buying romantic gifts
• When shopping online be scam aware. Scammers may pretend to be legitimate online sellers, either with a fake website, or a fake ad on a genuine site. Watch for any misspellings and unusual domain names, and don’t click on links in emails.
If the advertised price of a product or service looks too good to be true, it probably is. If you have any doubts, don’t go ahead with the deal.
Advice if you’ve fallen victim
It’s important to act quickly to reduce any potential for further damage. If you’ve already given your bank account details to a scammer, contact your bank or financial institution immediately to stop any further losses.
Contact IDCARE - 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.
Adapted from: Consumer and Business Services. (2024, May 29). Don’t let scammers break your heart. Government of South Australia. https://www.cbs.sa.gov.au/campaigns/scammers-give-love-a-bad-name
Extra discussion questions:
Do you think that people of your generation share too much information (including pictures and videos) publicly on social media? Why or why not?
How well do you think that school (including computer and class lessons) has prepared you for avoiding online danger? Explain your opinion.
In your opinion, why do so many people find romantic partners online nowadays? Support your answer.