MSU expert: How to avoid falling victim to romance fraud

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EAST LANSING, Mich. – With Valentine’s Day around the corner, romance and relationships are front and center in many people’s minds. This is also true for fraudsters, who, instead of looking for love, want to scam people who are genuinely seeking a partner via social media or dating apps — and reportedly caused over a billion dollars in losses in 2023. 

Tom Holt is a professor in the School of Criminal Justice, housed in Michigan State University’s College of Social Science. Holt also serves as the director of the newly formed MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation and Training and, here, he discusses romance fraud and how to avoid falling for the scam.

What is romance fraud?

Romance fraud is one of the most common fraud types and centers around the fraudster building a fake emotional relationship with their victim that they can leverage to get money from their victim over time.

There are many strategies fraudsters use to draw in their victims. A common tactic is claiming they are in the military or work remote jobs that keep them from connecting in person. Some also present themselves as models or influencers — even going as far as using stolen images from other people’s social media feeds to present themselves as attractive potential partners to victims. These schemes generally begin on social media platforms, though a small proportion begin on apps like WhatsApp or over text. 

How might fraudsters target victims?

Once a fraudster connects with a potential victim, they will try to find common interests to build rapport with them as quickly as possible and create a perceived intense connection. Then, the fraudster will typically tell the victim they have experienced an economic hardship of some kind, such as a medical emergency, a business shortfall, an inability to travel to see the victim, or some other issue that they cannot pay for. The victim is then asked to provide them with funds, usually a small amount at first, to help the fraudster out of the situation.

If the victim sends money, the fraudster escalates the requests further, asking for more money more often to help resolve the problem. If the victim starts to question the situation, the fraudster will leverage the perceived emotional connection between them to continue to receive funds. Research shows that romance fraudsters utilize linguistic tactics similar to that of domestic abusers in intimate partner violence situations in order to increase compliance with their demands.

How much money has been stolen as a result of romance fraud?

Victims of romance fraud lose quite a lot of money, with the average victim in the United States losing approximately $4,400 in 2023 according to the Federal Trade Commission. When viewed in the aggregate, U.S. victims reported a total of $1.3 billion in losses in 2023, and the global loss figures suggest this is a multibillion-dollar form of crime. Tracking down the fraudsters is incredibly difficult as many of them request to be paid via cryptocurrency, but some seek wire transfers or gift cards.

What groups of people are common victims?

Much of what is known about romance fraud tells us that many victims are typically between 50 and 60 years old. However, anyone can be a victim of romance fraud, as evident in the documentary “The Tinder Swindler,” in which the victims were all relatively young women. 

At the end of the day, it is important to talk to trusted loved ones and family. As you describe the relationship to them, pay attention to their reactions. If they think it is too good to be true, it may be.

What occurs after a victim gets targeted?

Eventually, the victim either becomes aware that they have been defrauded or runs out of money to provide to the fraudster. At that point, the fraudster pulls away completely from the victim, leaving the victim heartbroken and economically depleted. Victims are often ashamed, embarrassed and may be unwilling to seek help from police. Those who do contact police may feel further shamed by the nature of the questions asked about their experience, which may decrease their odds of reporting to any other helping agency.

What are some tips to help people avoid falling victim to romance fraud?

• Pay attention to the images and pictures the person you are talking with online is using. Potential victims can use Google Reverse Image Search Tool to see if the images used are actually someone else’s photos and videos.
• If the person you are speaking with online starts rushing into romantic or emotional language, it should be a red flag. The fraudster may be trying to create a perceived intense emotional connection.
• If the person you are speaking with online is, for some reason, unable to ever talk to you via video chat (showing their face and voice at the same time) that should be considered a serious red flag.
• Finally, if someone is trying to get you to help them with an investment in cryptocurrency or receive packages for them, know that it is certainly a scam.

Read on MSUToday.

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