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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.

It is your choice whether to submit a comment. If you do, you must create a user name, or we will not post your comment. The Federal Trade Commission Act authorizes this information collection for purposes of managing online comments. Comments and user names are part of the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) public records system, and user names also are part of the FTC’s computer user records system. We may routinely use these records as described in the FTC’s Privacy Act system notices. For more information on how the FTC handles information that we collect, please read our privacy policy.

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.
  • We won’t post comments that include vulgar messages, personal attacks by name, or offensive terms that target specific people or groups.
  • 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.

This is lack o…
February 15, 2019
This u.s. governement should control more western union, paypall, moneygram and all they institutions as it is only required to show and id card to withdraw the money . They should have the people have their passport registered for those who receive money.
Angelique
February 18, 2019
So I met this guy, calls himself Gerald Smith. He told me he's deeply in love with me, his wife died in a car wreck years ago and he's left with his only daughter, Jessica. He told me he needs me to clear out some parcels for him when they enter South Africa and that he sent 10 000 US Dollars together with the shipment. He also stated that he bought me some gifts for Valentine's : an iPhone, apple tablet, etc. When the "shipper" called, he told me I had to pay over 4000 rands for them to release my 'gift' I just freaked out and I don't know what to do!
Ahunter
February 18, 2019
Just wondering I’ve been giving this girl Catherine Shira a bunch of iTunes gift cards and she sayed she had rented the apartment that I got her. As I’ve been giving her a lot of money in gift cards she a scam just wondering she told me to go onto telegram.
cammy
February 18, 2019
Says his name is Garry Thompson from NC but now in Tripoli,Libya in the Army and is a doctor. After a month of "loving me" finally asked for money to get him early retirement. No such thing. scam.
Country girl
February 18, 2019
Had any one heard of James George Johnson originally from austral lives in cocoa beach Florida.widower wife daughter killed in car accident has a son got contract to norway off shore oil drilling
Be scammed
February 20, 2019
Beware of Marcus Davidson a doctor working for the UN is in Syria. Is saying he has a son William, 13 years old has a heart murmur, needs $850.00 for his medicine, son is in boarding school in Africa, his care taker is missing and so is all the money for Williams medicine. Also, Marcus has 7.5 million dollars in a bank in Africa but because the account has been idle for a while, he needs $1500.00 to reopen it.
ShoesOnTheOtherFoot
February 21, 2019
You know what's really fun? As soon as this happens... START TRYING TO SCAM THEM! A woman on hangouts tried to get me to send her money, So I said, "Okay! I'll just need you to give me your social security number, checking account number, and your username and password for online banking. And if you give me your credit card number... I can send you money even faster!" She freaked out and started calling me names and thought I was CIA and that I was having her followed! Eventually she blocked me... hysterical!
Janet Don't us…
August 22, 2019

In reply to by ShoesOnTheOtherFoot

I love it. Now if I can remember all of that, when my Babe starts asking for money I will have that list to fill out. My guy does have a sense of humor I love this...........Nice I believe that time spent apart helps keep things fresh in a relationship and makes the time we DO spend together even better. I'm not one who cheats in a relationship; one woman is enough trouble, I don't have the time or energy to juggle 2, 3, or 4 at the same time - haha,,,,,,,,,,,, I think I will keep him for a while.
Thank God he gone
February 03, 2020

In reply to by Janet Don't us…

Sounds like a man I met in 2019.. said the exact same words!! Goes by the name David Aborjoe from Denmark now in Australia
Tess53
February 22, 2019
Oh boy... been reading all these stories and here's mine. His name is Jason Blizson. Met on Words With Friends. has a deceased wife and a daughter named Laura who is in a boarding school in New York. Says he has a house in New York but he's working on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. Started getting very interested in me the middle of January after I just had surgery. He started out asking me for $300 in Amazon gift cards because he needed it for his Network. I told him I didn't have $300 but I did give him an Amazon card for $100. He got angry that he didn't have the whole amount and was saying that he needed the whole amount. Then he asked me to give him my Verizon login because he was going to put my account into a company raffle draw. I was stupid enough to give him the login and immediately he ordered five iPhones which he said his company did which totaled $4,795. They were all to be shipped to me for his workers and he told me I was to ship them to him and he was going to give me the address as soon as they arrived. Of course Verizon sent me an email telling me to contact the fraud department immediately. I confirm that I did not order those phones and they canceled the orders which infuriated this guy. He did not believe me that Verizon cancel the order and was still under the assumption that I was going to receive these phones in 2 days. He even went so far as to accuse me of receiving the phones and not sending them to him. Then he belittled me for sending him my little money when he was going to receive 25 million dollars on his contract but his bank account in the US was frozen so he had somebody from some Bank of Africa in Nigeria send me a form that I was to fill out for a domicilary acct. I was to fill out this form and screenshot it and email it back to this Gmail account. I told him no I was not going to do that. I told him it was a fake account or there would not be actually money put there but of course he was trying to tell me that I needed to receive his money because I need to order a helicopter for his 21 Men to be taken off the rig at the end of the contract in March and then I needed to book his flight so that he could come to my house with the money that was in this account. Of course I never did it so now he's wanting to link my Bank of America card account with his dormant Bank of America account but before he can talk to the bank he needs me to send him another Amazon gift card so then he'll have time for talking to the bank for about an hour. I'm so sick of this. And yes he has a foreign accent although he says he's from New York. When I first start talking to him on Words With Friends and he called me on the phone he sounded very sweet. And then all of a sudden his phone that he was talkin to me from was the company phone and he gave me another number that he was calling from but he didn't sound the same. His voice was deeper and when I asked him about that he said he had a cold. Now this is been going on for the last month. I blocked his number but I could see that he was calling me constantly from different numbers all night long one night I had as many as 17 phone calls every hour that were coming through on my phone. Fortunately I turn the ringer off. I think it's time to block that number again but he always comes up with another number to call me from and get a hold of me through Facebook Messenger. He has not been able to contact me through words with friends because I reported him. And he does not seem to have a profile on Facebook with anything other than chatting on messenger and sending romantic YouTube music videos to me. He's always trying to engage me in phone sex when he does call. His whole conversation seems to be how much he's going to make love to me as soon as he gets here to me. He must think that that's all us American women think about LOL I did report him to the FTC and Verizon has an online access fraud charge going against him for the purchase of all those iPhones or the order. It's amazing the stories that I've read tonight and that I am seeing all seem to have the same similar scenarios.
stupidgurl
October 11, 2019

In reply to by Tess53

Sounds like either prescottbillie or David Wilson from WWF. I have the same issues with both of them. Watch out for those 2 names also.
Gordy
February 23, 2019
Does the name james Harrison ring a bell
bubbette
February 23, 2019
Steven off shore rig in the gulf. Don’t buy it.
ltmikepowell
February 24, 2019
Hi everyone. On President's Day I got a message from a FB profile name Kate Nguyen. The profile was recently created (around December of 2018) with only 2 pictures, and also have only 3 friends (one of them is from Nigeria = RED FLAG alert). I started talking to her, she told me that she work in a big ship as a chef for some type of Christian missionary. Also she said her name is not Kate Nguyen, but Chloe Pham. I look the missionary FB page, and it seem like the organization is from the Philippines. She then proceed to give me an email address for Hangouts, and a phone number (I looked up the number, and it has Indiana area code (712-600-4393), while on her FB account said that she come from Ohio City, Cleveland. A search on Google on that number come up with multiple profiles on Vietnamese dating sites with multiple name and location, but with the same phone number (Kate Pham, Ngoc Mindy, Pham Chloe - all the profiles name). I clicked on those websites, they all come up with errors) . As I was talking to her, she claimed that she is bored with life on the ship, and she need iTunes gift card to download offline movies. Hmm - way too much red flag here.
ltmikepowell
March 02, 2019

In reply to by ltmikepowell

Update: Now she claimed that her wallet is stolen, not enough money for ticket back to US from her whatever location. Block time and bye time for that scammer.
Ugh
February 24, 2019
My scammer is John William's Lopez
gypsylady
February 24, 2019
Most of these scammers are overseas and they know how to play the game. His name is Havey William, "from Chicago/born in Germany", currently on Senior Friend Finder, very smooth, has the name and address of Maria Gueirttiez (several alias's) if you want to write him. Employment - off shore rig in North Sea. "from" Santa Monica. The law enforcment is helpless so you are basically on your own.
She tried
February 25, 2019
LoL! Instagram I had a chat request from the_creator. Said being on an rig she couldn't chat on Instagram. Ok so we went to Hangouts. Her user name is Live Life. Says she was a Petro engineer for Chevron on a rig in Gotland, Sweden. Ok. We started talking she went into that sweet stuff. Tell me about her house in Dallas with a Mercedes and Toyota and her house in Atlanta. Was very convincing! Talked about my family how when she got back she wanted to come visit . All sounded so good! Then she got real quiet wouldn't answer said her internet was because her iCloud was running out money for internet! What your on an oil platform and you have to pay for internet use? Said an iTunes gift card she could help her get her internet working! Funny after a while she started trying to reach me on Instagram again! I deleted my hangouts and reported it Instagram. Look folks I've been through this once before? When they ask for money? As convincing as they sound? Don't do it! Oh and some more info! Her name is Kathy marlow. Notisce she will spell last in small caps! Always! And she has a daughter named Andrea and never says where she lives. Said her husband was killed in a plane crash 4 years ago. On her Instagram she was showing pics of Bitcoin investment s! What and you want to ask me about iTunes cards? Please! So you guys beware! I know she will show up again! She's very convincing!
Is he scam?
February 26, 2019
Do you know who is Nelson Donald ? Is scam artist? I’m wondering
Cateyes
March 01, 2019
One in Texas. Another in Missouri. Both use Videos and Profess their love...
Gotcha
March 03, 2019
This happened on FB. My fiance got a message from this girl claiming that she liked his looks and was interested in him. And being that we were going through some rough times, he fell for it. Anyway when I found out they were texting each other and how she says she loves him. She started asking him for money to be sent to her because she had an abusing husband and she had to get away from him.Promised him he would be paid back and more. He westerned union $100 to her. Then after she asked for an i-tune card of $100.. Her name was Teresa N.Rodriguez of CA. I hope she gets caught.
Onlinelove
March 04, 2019
I met this guy not online but through Instagram about a year ago. He is a sergeant in the US army- don't want to mention his name. We started chatting on Instagram for about 3 months and then to Hangouts for another 6 months, then Facebook and eventually Whats App. He never asked me for money, but when I asked him about 4 week ago when he is coming to visit I suddenly became his fiance and had to send an email requesting his leave from the US Army, they replied of course, but no names etc and they requested a small amount of $250 - now, I am someone who does my homework very well. I taught my kids to be street wise - why would I fall head over hills in love with someone I haven't seen?? Well it happened and now this - I have trust issues and this smells like a scam, although I feel I can trust him, I don't know if I can trust his commander who recommended this...., . I have done some research about scammers and soldiers that has been deployed and boy was I shocked....and now confused. So before I send money please can someone give some advise here, please?
Sincerity
May 13, 2019

In reply to by Onlinelove

A leave is something that is requested by a soldier and not anyone else. The army is like any other job when you ask for time off. You request as nd they can either approve or deny it. The request does not get sent over to a family to ask for money because there isn't a payment required to ask for your leave time that you have accrued. Also, the military does recognize you unless you are married and in deers. Anytime someone asks for money it's a scam.
Cyprus scam
March 04, 2019
Been texting and calling almost daily for four months with incredibly romantic man. Sends YouTube videos of romantic songs. Looks up beautiful poems. Good looking. Promises incredible lovemaking. Lives in Maryland. Starts talking about his attorney. Then says he’s suing a company he’s not been paid by. Tells me they’re going to pay millions in gold. My first big red flag. I never asked him how much he’s suing for. Seemed extravagant. Then he has to fly to Cyprus to ship it here to USA. Seened strange. But you know when you’re hooked you want to believe all kinds of crazy. Sure enough, he asks for an ITunes card. I told him no way and that I know it’s not legit. He begs off and professes love love love. Next thing he promises me half of the millions. Huh? No way I’m thinking. Sure enough he can’t get the gold without money up front. Tries to convince me to take out cash advances on my credit cards and wire it to him. Then of course I’ll get that back plus the millions. Sure I will. I told him let me look into it. How can I turn him in? He still thinks I’m hooked
Flower
March 19, 2019

In reply to by Cyprus scam

OMG! I was talking and texting with the same guy ! Same stories now I know where he disappeared.
Susy
March 07, 2019
Henry Smith is a scam , similar situation . Single dad , mechanical engeneer, his ex cheated with his best friend . Ask for ITunes Card .
Sad
March 24, 2019

In reply to by Susy

Think I ran into this guy Puerto Rican Claims to live in NY- has daughter- wants iTunes cards - claims to have bought house.
annie
March 09, 2019
I was scammed by a man claiming to be Derek C Campbell, from Texas, saying he was in the military in Turkey, we chatted for 5 months, said all the right things, new all about Texas ect, so didn’t think anything out off the ordinary, even put the pictures through and searched scam sites and couldn’t find him anywhere,asked if I wanted to meet up in his home town, when he got off deployment, so I asked should I buy a ticket and he was all for me going there to meet him and his family, everything was going fine, booked my holidays, and flight then, all off a sudden 5 months after chatting, he asks me for money for a flight home, silly me did it, but when he told me he didn’t make it to the airport alarm bells, rang, then all off a sudden he was in hospital asking me to pay for medical bills, hence that was that , and I finished with I’m, but hey still going overseas though!
Protect me
March 11, 2019
Do you know Eric from Instagram? He said asked me hangouts and WhatsApp but I’m not trust him is he scammer? should I be chat with him? What do you think?
Chances are
March 11, 2019
Has anybody ever heard of a women named kirsten carian from Sweden?
Leeph
March 15, 2019
Mine sent actually sent pics of their DL. without you asking. Is that a scam to.
Vivian
March 16, 2019
Did anyone meet Christopher Wong? He is a British-born Singaporean, C.E.O and have a own company about Skyway Aviation.
Caught badly
March 16, 2019
Tive Dallas Buccilli, same scenario of many of you oil rig rich cant access account to get home etc. Sent pictures of him his daughter, son and wife killed in car accident 5 years ago. I fell for it. 5000 down. Found him out through picture reverse. Dozens of fake names, jobs etc. Have reported to bank and police. Cruel and heartless. I am feeling stupid sad and poor. .
Help
March 18, 2019
I’m a victim of a romance scam. I don’t know what to do and now I’m in debt 7,000 dollars. I’m lost for words and I’m only a college student I feel my whole life is now on pause because of this. I am beyond stressed nervous and depressed and I feel I have no hope or help for me to get this resolved.. I don’t have money like that falling out of the sky and I can’t take out a loan at all please someone tell me the right steps to get this cleared
you were scammed
March 22, 2019

In reply to by Help

you were scammed unfortunately your never getting this money back - this is the same guy in all these post tells you hes a white guy - hes not hes a Nigerian scammer - black - and will never leave you alone as long as he's getting money from you - all you can do is block him report him and get on with your life he told you he loved you your his wife and hes coming back to you - well none of that is happening - he scammed all of us and hell keep doing this to other women if we don't put stop to this - got me for 4 years - so believe me its heart break but remember that wonderful real guy is out there for you - take care
Royalbenni
March 20, 2019
Met a woman on Facebook four months ago and she started asking me for money right away. Wasn’t a lot but now she wants $600 to pay for her surgery. I have sent her money for expenses but I know it’s a scam and I’m going to stop sending her money. She processed her love for me and wants to get married. She said she has an inheritance she can’t get until she is married. I’ve been in contact with her attorney and he wants money to get the inheritance. I’ve also heard from her aunt who now lives in Germany. I know it’s a scam.
lac65
March 22, 2019
I was talking to a guy on Instagram under the name Ashley Dalton, claiming he is a Geologist, born in Belgium, but has been living in the states since he was 4 years old. He's says he's 56 years old, with a 15 year old daughter. Has very nice pictures on Instagram. He told me he had to go to El Paso, TX for a contract job. He claims he's out in the ocean on an oil rig. After a week of talking, he was saying how much he loves me. He told me, he needed $750 to get a chemical drum in order to finish the job he's doing. Then, he asked for $600 for a part that broke. A few days later, he gave me his bank account information to transfer money to someone, who was going to help him get an oil refinery machine that fell into the ocean, because of an oil rig explosion. I went into his banks checking account, to find out it's a fake account. But, I didn't know this, until I paid $1151 to get a bogus activation code. I foolishly gave him these amounts of money.
Gigi
March 22, 2019
Same with me met Jeremy on Instagram claimed to be a single dad and his wife died of cancer 8 years ago texted me poems told me off his hard life of course was a 50 year old gray fox suddenly had to go to genealogy claims he’s a subsea engineer and will be on an oil rig for 5 weeks had me switch to WhatsApp then claimed he needed money to pay for roaming charges and I needed to get him $200 in iTunes cards for now or we wouldn’t be able to text that sounded fishy and I said no then suddyhe stared calling me 3 times a day saying baby trust me I love you have faith so crazy! I deleted my what’s app but not before I told him off and I’d be reporting him! Sick cons lying about a dead wife pulling on heartstrings it’s the lowest or low. Claimed he was American but lived in Norway a kid where his father committed suicide he had a unusual accent and I always heard a bunch of people in the background thinks it’s a foreign boiler room and they use google phone to rep American phone numbers stay away from Jeremy!
Abuela
March 25, 2019
This guy contacted me on Meetups, very soon closed his acct there, were texting but then he said to go to Hangouts bc it would b cheaper for Jim to call me(claimed he was in Norway with his sick mom); engender, send me pic of his Fl drivers license; claimed he was bidding for a job...and won! Only thing he had to go for a Month to Istanbul that’s where the oil rig was; one day he called me a different name, claimed autocorrect was to blame ; very soon asked for 3500 bc the materials for the job needed to be transported to the rig and it was more expensive than anticipated; I said no then he started getting all mad bc how could I love him but not trust him; finally he said a company he had worked for had decided to fold and since they held all his valuables wanted to send them to him; if course he could not receive them so he wanted to make me his beneficiary so I could receive them for him; I said no again; he asked not to contact him ever again as he was heartbroken. I know the answer but If they send pic of Fl driver license can they still b fake?
Escuela
March 25, 2019
Can a person send pic of Florida drivers License and still be a crook?
Blinkoperson
March 25, 2019
How about Morales Gulliver
Notyourdumbblond
March 25, 2019
I keep trying to post this but don’t see it. Frenchman Jon Bach Fitzpatrick says his French last name is Renneau. 52/53 years old, gorgeous, white hair and beard. Artist, says livedin Austin, TX now Long Island, NY. Brother’s name is Nicholas. Long time girlfriend Michelle died of Leukemia 3/4 years ago. Anyone talking to him???? Please respond. His number is 512-593-1747
Madeahugemistake.
July 09, 2019

In reply to by Notyourdumbblond

Convinced this is the same person I met on Instagram. He is talking to several women at one time. I have caught him in several lies. Very romantic, sings to you, easy to talk with but ultimately needs money for all sorts of reasons.
Eddie
March 27, 2019
My online date, shows up by the name Julianne Mason. Lives in NYC, uses Quebec registered phone No. Asked me for gift card, after her CC had been declined. Conversation had stopped after I said I am working at CBSA and was very surprised that I have looked her up in CBSA/BSP US database and MASON, JULIANNE does not fit her profile. Her story makes stones cry... Parents died in a car accident, she's the only child, lives with her aunt. English is not broken, pretty much American or Canadian.
rosie ..boon
March 28, 2019
who is thomas oisin
Shystuf
June 06, 2019

In reply to by rosie ..boon

Does he also go by Thomas Oisin Hawkins ?About 58, a widower with a 14 yr old daughter. Claims to be working in Denmark?
Denise
February 14, 2020

In reply to by rosie

Rosie and all who have had recent contact with Thomas Oisin Hawkins @ , please stop your contact with him now. I had a on line relationship with him for a year, supposedly he was talking only to me, I see where some of these were starting to over lap on here. His scam was so some I didn’t see it happening, I had already fallen for him. First he asks for a couple “cards” and after talking with him six months I’m sending over $2500 to a shipping company for a box coming to me with $1.2 million and his documents and clothes inside. He has no one else he trusts but me, no family or friends. By the end I’ve spent nearly $10,000 and nearly destroy my marriage. So, please take it from me get out now! By the way this is all very recent, I just blocked him on 1/16/20.