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Looking to start a new relationship? For some, that may mean meeting a new love interest online. Word to the wise: sometimes it’s best to lead with your head and not your heart.

Millions of Americans use dating sites, social networking sites, and chat rooms to meet people. And many forge successful relationships. But scammers also use these sites to meet potential victims. They create fake profiles to build online relationships, and eventually convince people to send money in the name of love.

The Federal Trade Commission receives thousands of reports each year about romance scammers who create fake online relationships only to steal their victims’ money.

Unfortunately, an online love interest who asks for money is almost certainly a scam artist.

The FTC’s new infographic, developed with the American Bankers Association Foundation, lists common signs of online dating scams and what to do if someone you meet online asks you for money.

Below are some tips to identify a real romance versus a scammer cruising for a target.

Online Dating Scams. Has an online love interest asked you for money? That's a scam. Scammers know millions of people use online dating sites. They are there, too, hiding behind fake profiles. Signs of a scam: Professes love quickly. Claims to be from the U.S., but is overseas for business or military service. Asks for money, and lures you off the dating site. Claims to need money — for emergencies, hospital bills, or travel. Plans to visit, but can’t because of an emergency. $220 million lost in 2016. $56 million lost in 2012. Reports to the FBI tripled over 5 years (4,476 reports in 2012; 14,546 reports in 2016) What to do: Slow down — and talk to someone you trust. Don’t let a scammer rush you. Never wire money, put money on a gift or cash reload card, or send cash to an online love interest. You won’t get it back. Contact your bank right away if you think you’ve sent money to a scammer. Report your experience to: • The online dating site • Federal Trade Commission: ftc.gov/complaint • Federal Bureau of Investigation: ic3.gov. Learn more at ftc.gov/imposters and aba.com/engagement

Please share this information with others. Victims may be embarrassed to talk about their experiences, but you can help. A simple phone call, email or text, saying “Look what I just found” and sharing this information may make a difference in someone else’s life.

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The purpose of this blog and its comments section is to inform readers about Federal Trade Commission activity, and share information to help them avoid, report, and recover from fraud, scams, and bad business practices. Your thoughts, ideas, and concerns are welcome, and we encourage comments. But keep in mind, this is a moderated blog. We review all comments before they are posted, and we won’t post comments that don’t comply with our commenting policy. We expect commenters to treat each other and the blog writers with respect.

  • We won’t post off-topic comments, repeated identical comments, or comments that include sales pitches or promotions.
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  • We won’t post threats, defamatory statements, or suggestions or encouragement of illegal activity.
  • We won’t post comments that include personal information, like Social Security numbers, account numbers, home addresses, and email addresses. To file a detailed report about a scam, go to ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

We don't edit comments to remove objectionable content, so please ensure that your comment contains none of the above. The comments posted on this blog become part of the public domain. To protect your privacy and the privacy of other people, please do not include personal information. Opinions in comments that appear in this blog belong to the individuals who expressed them. They do not belong to or represent views of the Federal Trade Commission.

Arizcacti
August 11, 2020

In reply to by Whiskers 44

Did this Mark person mention he has a 15 year old daughter in boarding school?..I am interested, I am currently chatting with a person with similar story..
Hanni1956
April 16, 2021

In reply to by Arizcacti

Currently talking to a Mark Schmidt (Mark Schmidt Harrison on Twitter) who has 15yo daughter at boarding school.
Almond champagne
November 06, 2020

In reply to by Whiskers 44

Very similar to the scammer who felt so quick in love with me after 2 weeks of chatting on instagram. He asked to chat on viper for security purposed as he said he is a military man currently working for Czech Republic air force and deployment in the UK now, God fearing and went with the name of Martin or Andrej 42 yrs old. He asked my hand in married after 3 weeks then asked for 3000usd to help with his flight cuz he couldn't wire money from his bank to the agent to buy tickets to fly to the US to see me. His wife was a drug addict and cheated on him ,they got a divorced 2 years ago, they have a 6 years old son named Aloise . Super sweet talking guys, pics very attractive, would texted and called everyday. Be aware !!
deborabatres
January 31, 2019

In reply to by Peter... Hmmm!!!

Sound like my scammer Morgan Sullivan works as a contractor in a ship going to Singapore, lost his wife in an accident r4 years ago, has twin kids, lives in Dallas, TX? I have been talking since January 2019. He has not asked me for money but I know is coming after reading all of this, yesterday he told me his 14 year twin kid broke his arm and doesn’t know if health insurance will cover. I stared looking websites and saw this this, thanks God. Don’t know how to send you pictures.
Toosuay
February 20, 2019

In reply to by Peter... Hmmm!!!

Hi, was his name Terry Peter Wong aged 43? I also chatted with a guy who claimed that his parents had died in the hurricane years ago. And he is planning to relocate it to Singapore. Now he is currently in an oil rig in Indonesia. He also started to press me to ask for money to pay for oil rig items.
Toosuay
May 12, 2019

In reply to by Peter... Hmmm!!!

Was his name Terry Peter Wong aged 43? Did he mention that he lost his parents during Hurricanes years ago and was brought up by his grandma. He was intending to move his firm to Singapore. I chatted with this guy in mid-Jan 2019 and he started to ask me for money after two weeks of chatting and pestered me to join Hangouts when he claimed that he is now at an oil rig in Indonesia and has no access to internet.
Narnie76
December 04, 2018

In reply to by Nassau2018

I think I’m being scammed to by a guy I met on tinder . Says he was based at lakenheath base and we exchange numbers this was a couple of months ago when I said about meeting up he suddenly had been posted to Scotland. He messaged me ever day and night saying to me how much he loves me and wants to wed me ? Witch I was like yeah right and we’ve never met , he sent me pictures of him and videos of him at the gym and I’d ask him can we talk on the phone as we only ever whatsapp but he comes out with all different excuses like he’s not allowed to talk in the phone due to his military job . And I’ve tried to ring his phone but it says number is not recognised?? He’s asked me to pay for him to fly back to Norfolk where I live so he can b with me as he’s left his credit card at lakenheath base and he will give me the money when he gets here . He says I can book his flight for him . I told him I don’t have the money at the moment to do that but maybe after Xmas .. then last week he asked me for a I-tunes card . Well alarm bells started ringing as I’ve heard all this before . I told him no as I think he’s scamming me and I reported him on FB for having a fake profile witch he went mental at me when he found out . He swears he’s not fake and not scamming me but I really really don’t know ?? Only when I read your story about u waiting at the airport I’m now thinking this guy is fake .. please give me some advice as I will b proper gutted as this guy is gorgeous
Pay Back
June 22, 2019

In reply to by Narnie76

Post pics. They all change their names but they will use the same persons pics
Arongotscammed
July 29, 2019

In reply to by Nassau2018

What step did you take, I just found out the woman I have been chatting in UK with is located in Lagos, I have their IP address, what can I do and who should I report to?
Teisha
August 12, 2019

In reply to by Nassau2018

Hi how old did his say his was did his message you through Facebook how old his son suppose be 6 year old sis tell it not my faults stop blame me I really want be with you but his need help I have picture of my and name his used on fb
Tryme.go
October 28, 2019

In reply to by Nassau2018

Sounds like same person but only a woman to me. Also in turkey working from United States but stuck over there homeless now . Been with her for a year and a half given her my life savings and took out loans I will pay for at least 5 years ! Bought iTunes cards google cards money gram and western union and wired money from my bank. Went to pick her up at airport never showed! Claim she was in accident going to airport and never made it! I was stupid I can't believe I done this it's been 5 months since I gave her money but once in a while she still contact me
Cmw
January 06, 2020

In reply to by Nassau2018

I told one guy that if he did not have the intelligence to review financial requirements for his "international businesses" and the ability to stand on his own two feet financially, he wasn't worth my time. The concept of "love" does not require me to support an idiot. He wasn't to happy! LoL
EmmaAnthony
October 01, 2020

In reply to by cherrykoko

I wouldn't feed into it. Just ignore it and contact the police and say that he's messaged you again.
They trying again
August 05, 2019

In reply to by FTC Staff

These girls are finding me on Instagram. Then they ask me on Hangouts for the iTunes card. This is getting out of hand. Two of these women claim to be from Texas... Not falling for it again...
Fed up with fraud
February 02, 2018

In reply to by Fraud Stopper

No one deployed overseas in a hot spot should be using a dating site. Violating security protocols. My would be scammer asked me to let his bank wire his money into my account to save it from being confiscated. At least I recognized that as a variant of the Nigerian scam. Wish they could be caught half as easily as they seem to catch their would be victims.
Woman of Color
May 28, 2018

In reply to by Fed up with fraud

I also met this gentleman on the TAGG website, who calls himself Johnson Smith. He is in the United States Marine Corp,deployed to Egypt. We chatted for a little while, and he suggested a different website (Whats App) to continue talking. We talked for about two days, before he gave me the story about bad food over there, and he needed money to buy American food, and it was expensive. He asked me to send him $700...which I have not done. First he said send it Western Union,then he said no, send it through Money Gram. This should not be happening. I decided to Google scams, and found this site.
Trust your ins…
August 10, 2018

In reply to by Woman of Color

This is the same individual that tried to scam me just recently on hi5 he uses the name “Johnson s”. He asked me to add him on what’s up app and he gave me the same story about bad food in Egypt and he was deployed in Egypt. He tried to ask me money $300-$100 for him to buy American food . He said he works for us marines and he wanted me to send him money through money gram. I had deleted my hi5 and tagged accounts for my safety and to let other know so this does not happen to them!
RealmaN"
September 19, 2018

In reply to by Woman of Color

Oh my God. Someone posing as a hot white girl named Linda did the same thing. She says she was in love with me and said that both she and her mom had lost their home in America and had to go live in Gauna where her mom was born, but she wanted to come back and live in the US with me and needed $300 to help pay for her plane ticket to come back to the US.
mudman01
October 07, 2018

In reply to by RealmaN"

I have been talking to the same girl Linda S Parker living in Accra Ghana has taken over $5,400 from me and I'm sure it's the same girl long black hair very pretty and very large breasted it is what it is it just ended like 2 weeks ago so it looks like you're the next victim
mudman01
October 07, 2018

In reply to by RealmaN"

Her name is Linda Parker and she has gotten rich from this game
Almostgotcaughtup
October 31, 2018

In reply to by mudman01

Can you send me a pic of her, I think she's trying to scam me 559-977-3695 too
Tryme.go
October 29, 2019

In reply to by mudman01

Has anyone heard the name Sharon Kennedy? Just found this site all new to me
mudman01
October 10, 2018

In reply to by RealmaN"

She was thrown out of the United States for not having a valid passport and being an illegal immigrant and she got more than upal she got a bunch of us
scamvictim
October 09, 2018

In reply to by Woman of Color

This guy called Peter Yandle said hi to me on my Instagram. He said he was from the the states but having business in the UK. He’s oil investor and is working in an oil rig offshore. We soon changed to talk on WhatsApp. About a month later, he said he made a private deal and got millions of dollars. He wanted to send it to me because it was easier for him to do some investments in China. Anyway the so-called private courier company informed me that the ‘package ‘ was on hold by Turkish custom. I paid 1,850 via Western Union and then just as I expected, ‘they’ said I had to pay another 7,750 to have the package released. This guy is still luring me to do the second payment and keeps saying things to make me feel quilty... After reading so many comments about the experiences the victims shared here, I finally understand I am scammed! How stupid I am !
Barkley
March 19, 2019

In reply to by scamvictim

Ya know you'd think these people that work on oil rigs would have plenty of money as it is a VERY well paying job my friend works on one off shore in Texas. But yea they a re definitely liars
Mandalay May
June 11, 2019

In reply to by scamvictim

I have similar story. A guy who said he is now in Houston, Texas for his oil drill project approached with beautiful words and long story shot that he needed $1000 to send his agent in Turkey for his machine purchasing and now again $2000 for the machine to reach the oil rig. I refused to help again and now making me guilty for he will mess his project up unless he gets the money by this Friday. I was a fool to felt sorry for some scam.
4 real
September 07, 2019

In reply to by Mandalay May

Similar experience. Ne is Greg Williams. Claims to be from Netherlands. A contractor for Dierickson Oceanics . Divorced with daughter. Scammed me out of much money!!! Claims to be on an oil rig Gulf of Mexiting on Louisiana coast.
Barbara
November 14, 2019

In reply to by Mandalay May

Was he Asian but mixed? The guy I was chatting with said he's a petroleum engineer who landed a contract to work on an oil rig in Turkey for a month. He never asked me for any money but I have only been talking to him for about a month.
Dee
March 10, 2020

In reply to by Barbara

He will talk to you for a month or two then come up with a BS story for money. Do not waste your time unless you just want to see how long it will take for him to ask for money. When you refuse they get nasty and accuse you of exactly what they are trying to do. Do not send anything it is all a scam!
Concerned
October 19, 2018

In reply to by Woman of Color

I have talked to this Johnson guy. I blocked him after about three days. He asked for money because he was sick from bad food. Right??? Blocked
I’m done!
November 08, 2018

In reply to by Concerned

Is his first name Andy. Oil rig company working on an offshore project? Complained about getting sick, paying taxes, can’t pay workers , blah blah blah! He got me good...15k.
Cindy2457
November 25, 2018

In reply to by I’m done!

I’ve been talking to a guy supposedly named Antoni Maddox who is supposedly from Texas and now is supposedly on an offshore rig out of Edinburgh Scotland and he supposedly loves me and wants to marry me when he gets back sometime in December. He says he is sick from the water and needs me to send money to his corporate so they can send bottled water . He supposedly has a daughter but wife died from something. He got me to download Hangouts so we could talk without others knowing . Long story short, I’ve been talking for about a month and I caught on when he claimed being so sick he might die and needed water sent. I’ve been a fool.
Southerngirl
November 19, 2019

In reply to by Cindy2457

Do you have pictures of this guy? Does he have like an Israeli accent?
I waste their time
June 13, 2018

In reply to by Fed up with fraud

I just got a request from a woman claiming to be a marine stationed on a peace keeping mission in Nigeria, she said she needed money for food lol
LinkedIn
June 18, 2018

In reply to by I waste their time

Thanks for the heads up I too been scam earlier today this girl I met on dating site asked me for money for about fifty dollars gift card for Amazon she said that she was in Nigeria
ivetica
August 30, 2018

In reply to by LinkedIn

Same thing happened to me, I started dating a girl online on okcupid.com, she was in love with me after three days of chatting, which seemed really weird to me. When I asked her to meet up, she said she was been deployed to Syria the next day, so we could not meet up. The next day, after 24 hours she texted me saying that she got to Syria safe, and asked me if I could buy her a $50 itunes card so she could watch movies. I told her that I did not have money at that time, and she insisted me to do it, but I did not. The next day she said that her brother was really ill and she needed to send him a check cause he was getting a surgery. I told her to send the money to her mother, but she said she did not have contact with her mother, and she needed to send me the check, so I could take some money and then give the rest to her brother. I said no right away. She insisted, and started to make me feel bad for not helping her. I deleted her from my account and I blocked her contact after letting her know that she was a scam. Crazy people.
Bambi77
August 08, 2018

In reply to by I waste their time

Don't send a penny. Same happened to me but with a guy named Ukay Amaogu.
carolynk
July 25, 2018

In reply to by Fed up with fraud

I've been a victim of many scams by several banks and individual all in the same group they have scam me for over $6,000 I have their emails and phone numbers

LogicalGal
October 08, 2018

In reply to by carolynk

I think that this is a group of people with one man/woman posing as a love interest. Then they would use names or contact info of the member of their group to pose as someone else like an attorney, teacher etc then use information of those person to show as if they're real. But are impostors. Then will ask money for many reasons. Becaise I think right now I am communicating with one. First he asked me to pay his daughter's books and lodging then when I did not send money. He then asked me to send $3,500 for a bank documents for his attorney to transfer his funds to me. Then got mad when I did not send the money. Too obvious as scammer.
Bambi77
August 08, 2018

In reply to by Fed up with fraud

I met a Nigerian from Aba Abia named Ukay Amaogu for over a year now. He started making sad stories about a sick lil sister he even send a video. I send dome $ then he said he would sleep outside he needed 800.00 to pay rent etc etc continually asking for money and making sad stories and making me feel guilty like I shoukd send him money without him asking bec I knew about his hustle. Omg that pists me off. There are tbousands of scammers in Nigeria said by himself. How stupid. Just spread the news and don't send $ or give bank info.
Just want Love
November 14, 2019

In reply to by Fed up with fraud

I am messaging a military man from Michigan. Started with the normal conversation then led to his love for me. His wife died and his son is being taken care of by his sister. He was sent to California for 2 weeks on a job. While he was there he was told he was being sent to Yemen. He pleaded with me to ask for his leave. He sent me the information and I filled out the paperwork. He wanted me to say I was taking care of his son and I told him that I needed his address so I matched his paperwork. I knew it was a scam from the papers online saying they were fake. I did send them with false information because I knew it wasn't going to the military. The website ended in .com. When I received the confirmation letter I was to send $2000 to keep him out of leaving and he could go home after they received the money. I didnt send it because I knew better but I enjoyed the attention. He was upset with me but said he understood. Now he is in Yemen but I know he is not. He had made a few mistakes that I have been noticing. Like time difference is only 6 hours when it should be 9. He has asked me for itune cards to add subscription to his phone. I sent one because i earn free cards so i figured i wasn't out anything. Then yesterday he comes up with his sister is dying and needs surgery. She is all he has left and takes care of his son. He is needing $1300 to help her get thru her surgery. Anything i can send will help her get by. I told him i can not help him financially and i was suddenly negative and not caring about a life. He is very good and eventhough i know i am being scammed it is hard and hurtful knowing someone who gave you loving words is now being hateful. I managed to calm down and do not plan on sending any money. Even with his promise of repaying me. He doesn't have access to his account right now. He has money and wants to take care of me when he comes home. Believe me i am a smart women and these guys are just that good. You doubt yourself and say maybe THIS guy is real and not scamming me. I know he is and that is what makes it so evil. I just want to find love. His name is Hartin and i met him on facebook. Like some of the others we moved to a private site. Hangouts. As i am reading it is a common place to scam on. His facebook is deleted or removed. Has anyone else talked to a Hartin?. I feel foolish because i know better.
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