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Image of cupid and heartNot everyone using online dating sites is looking for love. Scammers create fake online profiles using photos of other people — even stolen pictures of real military personnel. They profess their love quickly. And they tug at your heartstrings with made-up stories about how they need money — for emergencies, hospital bills, or travel. Why all of the tricks? They’re looking to steal your money.

As if all that isn’t bad enough, romance scammers are now involving their victims in online bank fraud. Here’s how it works: The scammers set up dating profiles to meet potential victims. After they form a “relationship,” they come up with reasons to ask their love interest to set up a new bank account. The scammers transfer stolen money into the new account, and then tell their victims to wire the money out of the country. Victims think they’re just helping out their soulmate, never realizing they’re aiding and abetting a crime.  

Here are some warning signs that an online love interest might be a fake. They ask you to:

  • chat off of the dating site immediately, using personal email, text, or phone
  • wire money using Western Union or Money Gram
  • set up a new bank account

Did you know you can do an image search of your love interest’s photo in your favorite search engine? If you do an image search and the person’s photo appears under several different names, you’re probably dealing with a scammer. And if the person’s online profile disappears a few days after they meet you, that’s another tip-off.

Here’s the real deal: Don’t send money to someone you met online — for any reason. If your online sweetheart asks for money, you can expect it’s a scam.

Unfortunately, online dating scams are all too common. There may be tens of thousands of victims, and only a small fraction report it to the FTC. If this happens to you, please report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

A woman looking at a dating site on her computer.

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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.
  • 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.

Darkangel
September 06, 2020
Thomas Johnson is who I got he says he’s in the military and then he stationed over in Japan right now he says he has a daughter but he didn’t even know that his daughter was starting school this week but he said he’s three months behind in his Internet bill and he couldn’t stand to not talk to me and that he loves me he asked me to marry him within the first week that he asked me to send the money on an eBay gift card so that he could pay for his Internet but when I asked what an eBay gift card would do he got a hostile and then he said that he was on the phone with his bank and the bank wanted him to come in to verify they needed his fingerprints which I called the bank and I asked they don’t do that and that the manager is willing to transfer money into a friends account accountI was going to give him a different account number and routing number but then he asked for my online ID my password my security questions and answers in my account and routing number and I told him I didn’t feel comfortable doing it so I guess I’m one of the lucky ones. I told him that people scam people all the time with gift cards and he said if I was a scammer I would ask for a $10 million instead of 100 which is wrong they always ask for low because people normally can pay low
Cally
September 27, 2020

In reply to by Darkangel

Omg! I met a guy called himself todd William's and used the same fingerprint issue w/ his bank! No bank anywhere requires you to bring fingerprints to unlock a bank account. When I wouldn't send money and cards, he got aggressive and mean. All of sudden he didn't love me anymore (after 3 weeks, boo hoo). This jerk said he was a doctor from malibu but working in Somalia for the UN, and yet needed money from me..... really?
Christine Rogers
September 06, 2020
Has any body heard of shawn webber on here I think I am being scammed
Pof
November 15, 2020

In reply to by Christine Rogers

I heard of a Darrin Webber enigeer.. pictures are of a black man bald white beard..tattoos on arms and chest
Dresslady67
September 06, 2020
Does anyone know Thomas Roland from Vienna Ausria?
Chezzie
September 06, 2020
Had somone last year on Telegram say they was Leonardo DiCaprio he asked me for Itune cards £200 he then texts me one day saying that hes coming iget a text one day with him saying I'm.here look out of window didnt see him at first look put a while later see a car person in car looked exactly same as leonardo dicaprio he was in back of a very dark vehicle with what looked like 2 men in the front of the car only I would of gone to him but my mom shouted at me to go to bed saying whoever's outside ot wont be Leo she said. Anyway next day I get a text again from him saying you fooled me I never want to see you again. : (
Hopeless
September 07, 2020
How long do they take before they ask for money? I have had scanners before on dating cites and right away they ask for cash. But this guy I’ve been talking for 4 months and hasn’t asked for cash. There has come up issues that I’m waiting for him to ask but he doesn’t. Claims to be in the Army. I search his picture ask questions and search answers. I just don’t know. Help!!!!
BB
September 21, 2020

In reply to by Hopeless

Is his name Tommy and really Gorgeous? I would send a picture but this site doesn’t allow it!
agent101
September 07, 2020
hi, has anyone here encountered a nice looking bald and bearded guy? he said he's from Croatia but living in new York for the longest time already. works at one of the biggest shipping company. always out for business trip. petroleum engineer. he's nice, calls often, we would video call but he can only see me, I've never seen him in video calls because he was out travelling on a ship, he says it's not allowed. after 2 months of communicating he started saying he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me and doesn/t want to travel for work anymore. gave a business proposal, he said he has a doctor friend who works at a research laboratory who needs a certain herb and that he wanted us to supply for them. asked me to look for supplier. to make the story short, i found one but when i looked deeper into the loopholes, supplier, courier and this client all have the same IP address. supplier refuse to give important details about their company. this guy i met wanted me to support him financially in the business when i said i sense something wrong about the supplier, he got really mad and threw me all kinds of bad accusations. i tried looking up the guy's name in google, even his photos, but couldn't find anything. no social media account. he said he's a widower, only son, mom was old and staying in Croatia. anyone who encountered him?
Wheils
September 23, 2020

In reply to by agent101

I’ve been talking to a guy for a week who was born in Croatia, moved to New York at 20, wife died in a car accident 3 years ago. One son who lives in San Jose, California with his sister who died on Monday of a heart attack. He’s a mechanical engineer in the military but he’s in Canada right now. Has been for nearly a year. Very Christian. Strong accent. Goes by the name Armando Mouser. Age 53. Any of this sound familiar?
PoorMe
January 15, 2021

In reply to by agent101

Almost same story. Bald bearded man, very nice. Can we share photos?
Upset
September 07, 2020
Does anyone know a James Herbert who is an engineer on off shore oil rigs? Says he's in Poland right now working. I would appreciate any information. Thank you
Sdusty
September 13, 2020

In reply to by Upset

Omg that names sounds imiliar... Does his number start with 447? Anyways nothing happened. I was being nice and chatting. But he was annoying and clingy and said I was never there to talk? He stopped talking lol
Jazzy09
September 07, 2020
I was playing Scrabble with buddies We started talking in November, his name he said was David Blossom that his wife had dIed on the operating table 4 year's ago and his son is in a boarding school where he lives. I think the school is in Berlin. My family warned me but I didn't listen because I thought he loved me, I sure made a huge mistake just because he said he was wealthy. If anyone has heard of him please let me know because I'm filing a complaint against him.
Norty67
September 07, 2020
Anyone out there been scammed by a mike peden railroad contractor he even has fake web ?
Hopenot
October 14, 2020

In reply to by Norty67

I recently was contacted by Mike Peden railway engineer on a dating site. He lives in Portland OR, wife died from cancer, no children. He is saying all the things that I have read on here. One woman man, he is lonely and wants a woman who is honest and won't look at other men. He immediately wanted to communicate by email and his profile is no longer available on the dating site. I think he is setting me up. Fortunately it is in the very early stages. Going to block him now
sadcat
November 17, 2020

In reply to by Hopenot

The Mike Peden Railway engineer I had contact with was listed on dating site as living in Louisville, KY
Peaches
October 15, 2020

In reply to by Norty67

My Grandma is being scammed by Mike right now. I told her it was a scam.
Concerned
November 10, 2020

In reply to by Peaches

What is he doing? I am concerned for someone being scammed by him now.
sadcat
November 11, 2020

In reply to by Peaches

Keep telling her until she believes. He knows how to play the game and hopefully she will become aware he has done the same to many of us out there. Was she on Silver Singles?
sadcat
January 07, 2021

In reply to by Peaches

Peaches- Has your grandmother lost any money to Mike? Is she still talking to him? Curious.
wadmm
October 17, 2020

In reply to by Norty67

Oh my...have I, and he is still trying to correspond. He actually is trying to convince me he is the real deal. God this is funny. I knew he was a fake. Went on the Silver Singles. I told him from the beginning I would be boring...but he would not give up. I don't have money, and yet he keeps it up? I started to investigate , and saw the fake web page...good lord he has gone through a lot of work. I just received another email from him this morning. Insisting I respond, because he is the real deal. Silly man. Anyway thanks for posting this. Maybe we can worn other women off.
sadcat
November 11, 2020

In reply to by wadmm

I have been talking with him since July. Of course he told me I was the only woman for him. What a piece of work. His business is not even a real business. I feel like such a fool.
rustybutterknife
November 10, 2020

In reply to by Norty67

My mother (recently widowed) is talking to this guy right now. Except now he is based in TN. I am trying to tell her that he checks all the boxes for a scam or at the very least some kind of creep. Hope I can convince her without hurting her feelings. This really sucks.
Concerned
November 10, 2020

In reply to by Norty67

I know someone being scammed by him. What is his MO/ modus operandi? Did he try to get money from you? I am very worried.
Insurance Girl
April 01, 2021

In reply to by Concerned

I wanted to know how he scammed the other person that you know. He borrowed a large sum of money from me to complete his project.
Insurance Girl
January 26, 2021

In reply to by sadcat

I think he scammed me too and he told me he now lives in California but is working on a project in Bahrain and I did give him quite a large sum of money. He was on Silver Singles.
Insurance Girl
February 01, 2021

In reply to by sadcat

There is a profile and photo of Peden on LinkedIn but he is now based in Seattle, Washington
Canbury
September 07, 2020
I think I am being scammed after an interaction on craigslist. It's the "my 14yo son...Ohio" deal. What should I do?
TOBYJUG
September 08, 2020
Has anyone linked up with a swiss guy, living in Connecticutt who is an architect by the name of Davis Luis - went to Dubai to follow up on a job he had already done earlier in the year to find that 3 people had been killed and 2 injured due the collapse of part of the building he was in charge of constructing - 55 years old one daughter Anne 16 years old his wife died 8 years ago due to ovarian cancer!
Nanacarol50
September 08, 2020
I had guy on WWF Byron Markus who chatted with me and went to Hangouts. He lived in Nashville TN and worked forExxon and got job out of country. He needed money for his son Sammy in boarding school In Texas. He needed food and medical treatment for skin condition. He supposedly left his wallet at home when left for job. I refused and he will never forgive me if son dies. I told him the nanny could take him to hospital for treatment. I found a twitter account with his picture under Jeff Lancelot and son’s name there was Kelley. Just wanted to get his name and story out there. I gave him nothing and blocked him on Hangouts
Heart broken
September 09, 2020
I was scammed by Peter Palmer . He lived in bluecrossing Mi
TOBYJUG
September 09, 2020
Please has anyone heard of Davis Luis - swiss born living in Connecticut CEO of his own architectural business called DL Architecture & Construction - pics he is using belong to a well known Austrian leading politician!!!
MJR
September 09, 2020
Anyone hear of James Grimmett or Coca
TAU@scammer
September 09, 2020
Beware of a person who poses to be an engineer who claims to own a construction company in Ukraine. He went to Thailand to sign a contract and since he has only 430thousand dollars, he needs 15k more to pay for contract fee otherwise he will lose the contract where he can make me an overnight millionaire LOL marry me and we travel around the world, this being his last contract so we can be together. No, I did not give his demand. His passport is held by immigration for sticker. No international credit card. No valid ID except engineer's ID..yet he owns a rollroyce and Bentley for his toys? LOL. His name is TONY ABAD or ANTHONY ABAD BOHDAH per fake passport LOL. I wish I know how to post picture here but in not good with technology. By the way, I was lured to send $1,000 to pay for his 5 start hotel and food while he is still looking for money. He was supposed to visit me with a business class ticket he sent me but cancelled due to pending problem with contract fee. Hilarious!
Fool
September 10, 2020
I was introducef to a female in the us army in afghanistan on whatsapp by her brother-in-law in Oregon. It started out just fine at first, then she wanted me to use a certain "spell caster" to make the relationship unbreakable. Unfortunately, I paid this person to do what she asked. Then he wanted more money to cast other spells. When I said no, he got very angry with me, and so did she. She asked to text so we could chat more privately. She asked for my address so she could mail a check to pay for her mothers medical bills. The check bounced when I trief to deposit it into my bank acct. She asked me to use a different bank, but I told her I could not. She started to ask for money to buy a new cellphone. It started out at $60, then $125, then $200-$250. Her dollar sign was always behind the number and I this seemed odd (for example 60$ ). When I told her I read online to send no money to an official us military deployed, she said it was a hoax. Out of curiosity, I searched her name online and used the number she gave me once again to find out more. The person on the other end had the same name, but never heard of me and asked me to tell her her name. When I did, she flipped out and said to call the police. I haven't heard from this person since. There's more, but that's embarrassing enough to continue.
Emss
September 11, 2020
Hej, Everyone I'm recently a victim of scam, a very cute us army ( lieutenant) base in Somalia and he is 1 daughter, after a week of talking he ask 150-200$ for iTunes gift card because he can't open his camera in hangout. but I refuse to buy, instead I ask him" who are you? " he get upset, and he said he will find way to prove to me that he is real, and to see him in webcam, and Yes he Call me and his is REAL a white man with an army Uniform and a group of soldiers behind him. And he said in camera ' I'm real baby don't you believe me now" I got very nervous and felt guilt, And after we talked he ask me to buy him Bitcoin for 500$ because he own some with his friend. And I said No again. He said its OK not to help but he begging me to stay. But I disconnected him and blocked. Please help,,,, Is he a Scammer???? Anyone have experience like this??? Thanks in advance..
mahmoudkaz1997
September 11, 2020
thanks for this info ....but really weird internet these days . but i have a story ... i talked with a woman in usa and then i think she is a scammer but the weird thing she did not ask for money .
Shelly60
September 11, 2020
Dave White 60 Houston Tx Fake oil rig consultant on dating sites Requests a green dot card from you Romances you proposes to you And then asks for a green dot card purchased for him to put his own money on Just text him the details of the card And pin number He wants to marry you Until you don't give it to him And then he turns ugly and abusive Stayed away He will also fake plane tickets to come and see you
Scammed???
September 12, 2020
Hi Has anyone been contacted by Jason Hills? Been chatting for a while, oil rig drilling engineer, contract finishing, family in NC, wife and son killed in car crash five years ago, pay check for five million dollars made out to me but needs money for a fake marriage certificate before company will release check to me. Also always asks if I have eaten, not to work too hard, to rest and to stay safe for me. Too many similarities. Even saw his"mother" Rose on hangouts. So happy her son has found a wonderful women as a wife. Many God bless you, my daughter etc. Daughter Kim and grandson Chris. Rig in Gulf of Houston he says. Written English full of grammar mistakes. Seen him twice on hangouts. Calls sometimes with quite a strong accent.
Dev
September 12, 2020
Met a sweet talking guy on Facebook. Said he noticed my profile and was instantly attracted. The day after that he invited me to his Google Hangout profile which he said he used for family only. Claims to be a Sgt. in the military on a special mission in Turkey. He later deleted his FB account for security reasons. Also uses that same excuse as to why he can not call or video chat. Although he did call me through video chat 2 times each for 2 seconds before hanging up. All I was able to get a glimpse of was the top of his head and then his forehead. He goes by Owin S Pat but says his real name is Owin Platek. He sent a few pictures in uniform with the name Sharp on them. He tricked me into giving out my address saying he wanted to send me some of his belongings and I was the only one whom he could trust. Says he's widowed with 2 kids. Few hours later of me giving my address I get an email from some more than likely fake company stating they have the package ready to be sent to me but first I need to send them $1,750. 00 for them to release it. I did not fall for that. Rather I told them to cancel I did not want to receive it anymore. Then they tried telling me would cost $1,100. 00 for me to cancel the order that I did not set up in the first place. They also said if I did not pay then I will be getting a visit from customs since my home address was in their system. I gathered this so called Sgt. was in on it so I called him out. He then went to say how confused he was with the whole situation with his package. He has never directly asked me to wire money to an account but he later on tried telling me that he was wanting to take an emergency leave from his post so that he could take care of it and also come meet me sooner. He tried telling me he needed help with the cost of his leave because he has no access to the thousands of dollars that he has. He then tried telling me that his superior needed me to fill out a form indicating the reason for his leave. But yet he wanted me to use myself as the reason rather than stating his package problems. I know for a fact that true military people will not allow anyone to do this for a soldier unless you are immediate family. So anywho I blocked him on Hangouts and now he blows up my emails. I always thought once you call them out and block them that they just move on to the next victim but he is still trying to get me to believe that his feelings for me and his whole situation is real. This is my first but deff my last online scammer situation. Been scammed before but usually from men whom I meet face to face with.
Bemegirl
September 12, 2020
Anyone have a story about a William, who is getting ready to retire and needs someone to be beneficiary of His retirement money????
Queen
September 13, 2020
Beware of this name Dr. Robert Albert Emery, he’s a genius scammer.