Protecting your feelings and your finances

Romance scams exploit emotions to steal money, with victims losing over $23 million in Australia. Learn how to stay vigilant and report scams to protect yourself and others.

Teddy bear holding a love heart next to a pink rose

You’re searching for love, swiping through other hopefuls, when you get a match – they’ve got great photos, and they also love dogs! The conversation’s going well, and they quickly suggest moving things to email or an encrypted chat app like WhatsApp, Signal or Line.

Over the next few weeks, they make you feel like the luckiest person on earth, love-bombing you (inundating you with love, gifts and attention). As your trust in them grows, they convince you to transfer money through gift cards or cryptocurrency, claiming that they need your help urgently or promising to invest your money.

As you transfer those funds, you join thousands of others in Australia who lost more than $23 million to romance scammers last year.

Sadly, this story is becoming more common with people from all age groups being targeted, especially around Valentine’s day.

Watch out for the red flags!

  • Too fast, too soon: If someone confesses their love or makes grand romantic gestures very quickly, take a moment to pause. Remember that real connections build over time.
  • Avoiding face-to-face: Be cautious if they consistently avoid meeting in person or even joining a video call. While privacy is important, ongoing excuses should ring alarm bells.
  • Urgent money requests: A red flag is any plea for money – especially if the request is urgent. It could be a sudden illness or a promise of making some easy money.
  • Check their background: A quick online search might reveal inconsistencies or signs that the photos and stories are recycled, or AI generated. Do they have a social media account you can view to verify their identity? Trust your instincts if something feels ‘off’.
  • Keeping things a secret: Scammers will pressure you to keep the relationship a secret and try to cut you off from your family and friends who may spot the red flags and try to warn you.

What to do if it’s too late

  • Act quickly if something feels wrong. Contact your bank immediately if you have sent any money or shared your account details.
  • Take screenshots of conversations of their profile before blocking the scammer on all platforms.
  • Report it to police via the Australian Cyber Security Centre as well as making a report to ScamWatch to help other avoid similar scams.

Remember that while it might be fun to dream of fairy-tale romance, genuine love doesn’t rush into asking for money.

Visit this dedicated ScamWatch page to learn more about romance scams and what to do if you or someone you know is affected.