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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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Topics
Shopping and Donating
Scams
Romance Scams

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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.

Sproutrig
March 20, 2019

In reply to by fuentesbaylonh…

Sounds like Jeffrey Scott. Hes been catfishing for the past week. Wanted me to send him 300. Us to get his forms to come be with me forever. Blah blah hes drop dead gorgeous and very smooth. Hes scamming you in have found lots on wev about the real soldier Google him sister I bet it's the same guy
Noonie
August 09, 2020

In reply to by fuentesbaylonh…

I am conversing with someone who claim they are in the US Military station in West Africa.... He quickly FaceTime but is look like I was watching a person on tv and he hung up fast saying they are not allowed to video and he cant chat on the phone unless. He goes by James smith and I’ve don’t my research and it appears everything he sent is quotes or from someone else... I know it’s fake and he doesn’t no I am on to him because we just started to chat.
Liz
March 24, 2019

In reply to by Linda

Please can u send me a pic. I'm trying to warn my aunt who is being scammed by Charles . Same scenario. She is now madly in love.
scammed to long
June 14, 2019

In reply to by anne

What was the man named Charles last name and what site did he want to hangout? (literally hangouts)Did he have a daughter if so what age and where did she live? I talked to a Charles for a long time and believe he was scamming me.
Tara
July 30, 2021

In reply to by scammed to long

He must still be at work it on bigo live he has scamed me using me to pay to have money cleared to go into my account from him but with bitcoin it wasn't enough to clear what I sent and he said I needed to send more but I do not have it and wants me to send more to clear it so he is their and I have found this right in the middle of him wanting to rip me off more I feel so bad letting this happen so please be aware he is ative on bigo live right now 1/8/2021
Punked?
May 18, 2020

In reply to by anne

My Charles says Pedro, or George. From UK, lives in San Francisco. Civil engineer. Daughter, E, 27, goes to college in London. I wanna believe this so badly, but am discouraged by all these posts. Plus, my replies don't seem to post here. FTC Admin, why do my replies not post???
alex
November 17, 2018

In reply to by ReportAllScammers

There is another guy that goes with Steven_Hendry_Lucas claiming to be a sgt but when he sent his fake military Id. In his ID it says Cpt.
Samuel
March 10, 2019

In reply to by ReportAllScammers

My wife is talking to a man calls himself Michael Anderson that claims his an engineer etc. And he's a widower and his wife passed away of cancer.
Queen
March 13, 2019

In reply to by Samuel

Samuel, I have been talking to someone too like that. I have put a reverse search on his pictures. Most of them pulled up fake. It is so sad to me that someone, anyone, would mess with someones emotions like that.
Anne
March 29, 2019

In reply to by Samuel

I hope I'm not involved with this person! Sounds similiar! Different name though.
unknown
April 11, 2019

In reply to by Anne

Hi Anne. Does your guys name start with a K? I have a friend talking to a similar person shares same storyline..but name is different haven’t seen it on here yet. I’m sure it’s the same person or group scamming innocent people.
Sunshine
May 27, 2019

In reply to by Samuel

Good ole Michael Anderson,met him on Christian Mingle Jan 2016. At that time his gig was the Perdido Project. He was coming to meet me but had to go Turkey to get paid. Got stranded in Turkey when his passport and personal effects were stolen. Wanted me to give him money to fly home. Instead I bought a plane ticket with insurance. He refused the ticket and claimed I abandoned him in his time of need. Best $80 bucks I've ever spent.
user60000000
September 11, 2019

In reply to by Sunshine

Sounds similar to a guy, my mother is talking to, she doesn’t seem to know that it’s a scam,
nxs3064
March 21, 2020

In reply to by Sunshine

I think I talked to the same guy. He told me his name was Michael Anderson and that he was an independent oil and gas engineer working for himself who had business in Philippines. When he supposedly traveled there from Scotland, he was losing his bit and needed to pay a lawyer $25,000 and asked me to send him the money to help. Guess what? He won and after receiving my money instead of disappearing had a nerve to confess what he did. He is back on fb again looking for another prey.
3l2020
August 23, 2020

In reply to by nxs3064

I guess my sister is talking to the same guy, the name is similar . Gas pipeline expert something . Lives in Scotland too.
caughtout
March 13, 2021

In reply to by nxs3064

I have been talking to a Dr Michael Anderson, plastic surgeon from London but born in South Africa. Also a Mark Engle, swedish architect staying in Cape Town SA, both of them got so called stranded in foreign countries. Needed lots of money and every time its another excuse why they cannot return to SA...in custody and needed bribe money and so forth... Michael is the sweetest person very christian like. I have plenty of pictures of him and would like to share them with anybody in a similar situation.
froglover77
July 08, 2019

In reply to by ReportAllScammers

I think I am currently talking to the same man. But he goes by Terry Paul Adams or Carter Adams. He told me his ex-wife was on drugs and that he caught her cheating with his bf. Can you send me pics?
Dev
August 23, 2020

In reply to by ReportAllScammers

Oh my God. Sounds like the same person i met on IG and mover to WhatsApp. Weve talked for couple weeks. He is so religious. And sending quotes everyday. I didnt realize because of the consistency and the patient. Tell me that he has divorced with no kids. I mean maintaining the convo everyday like its normal things. Till he said he was paid and wanted to continue life in my country and wanted me to keep his money. But we never saw face to face. Only text messages. He claimed that hes a petroleum engineer. Please can we send pictures of the man/men? Oh yeah he deleted his IG few days later and told its because he has founded someone hes Looking for.
RedFlags
September 03, 2020

In reply to by Dev

Red flags are meet on IG & move u to WhatsApp. Sends quotes and messages every day and very sweet & attentive. Claims to be religious. Only ever texts no video or voice calls. Engineer working overseas. In love with someone he has never met. Told you he deleted his IG but he would have blocked you so u cant see it or changed the name. I know it’s difficult but block this person and save yourself. He will try again using another profile.
Lucky I saw th…
October 03, 2018

In reply to by Upset

My guy was Dr Mark Williams from London, a medical surgeon working for the UN Peacekeeping Organization in Syria with an 8 year old daughter in a U.S. boarding school in Nebraska. He like some of my tweets then DM'd me casually. Started talking about how he was widowed and both his parents died many years ago. Very believable until I noticed his grammar became poor and very broken English. When I saw this scam I confronted him on Twitter and he became hostile and blocked me. I have since reported him to Twitter. Thanks to all for posting or I might have been scammed.
Vivian
January 09, 2019

In reply to by Lucky I saw th…

Hi. I think I have the same story too. Can we exchange pictures of him?
Dasu
March 24, 2019

In reply to by Vivian

This sounds like a man who is scamming a neighbour of mine right now. He was to arrive here in Canada on Monday, and then all of them were leaving for Ohio in early April. He told my neighbour that he is stuck in Turkey with his daughter and needs money to get out. She started a GoFundMe page about 7 hours ago. I have his picture and would like to share the picture with others to see if this is the same person scamming other women. Thank you.
renodaems
April 22, 2019

In reply to by Dasu

Would appreciate seeing his picture , sounds like the same guy that's trying to get my acc# or cc#, is stuck in Istanbul with his 5 year old daughter already a few months, has money in his account but can't access it! Lol
Tara73lynn
April 09, 2019

In reply to by Vivian

jimmy8765surpre on POF +1 716-217-1827 I pinned a picture from my clipboard but I'm not sure if it. Shows is this him
SicOfScammers
January 13, 2019

In reply to by Lucky I saw th…

I got a FB friend request from someone with the pic being that of a man in surgical scrubs with hat. When I googled the picture of him one of the dozens of names it popped up with was Dr Mark Williams. I never accept a FB request anyway, but always check to see if I need to report the scammer.
Steph3888on't …
February 17, 2019

In reply to by Lucky I saw th…

Familiar story, surgeon no parents died when he was 12. Daughter in boarding school, divorced ex wife died . Goes by the name of George wayne on Instagram, then moves you to Google hangouts .
lc1951
February 27, 2019

In reply to by Steph3888on't …

Good day, I have one name is Frank divorced daughter in boarding school she is now 13, hangouts and said that if I could send $1,600 to the UNITED NATIONS he will be able to come home for a level of two months. and then retire he has 20 years in.
Dee
September 21, 2020

In reply to by lc1951

What is the full name he used? This sounds like a guy my mom is talking to. Same story. Daughter in boarding school ex wife dead. He lives In Florida. His name is Frank Simon and daughters name is Mercy.
pblkto
March 22, 2019

In reply to by Lucky I saw th…

He is still at it under same name, as of 3/21/19 Dr Mark Williams in Syria. He is still with same story, except he has son in boarding school. Wife died. He’s in love with you-right away. They also send you poems, YouTube love songs, etc They always want money or personal info And it runs rampant lately
Notstupid
March 25, 2019

In reply to by pblkto

I was approached by someone (Wellington Bolt) funny, that's actually a name of hardware...claimed to be a widower, grandfather (handsome) of twin (young) girls, real parents gave him up, lived in an orphanage, adoptive parents passed, asked me to send his granddaughters cell phones, candy, etc. I declined. A week or two later, asked me to send $500 worth of steam cards through Wal-Mart. Supposedly he's from Queens, NY, but in Turkey, drilling for oil for Exxon Mobil. Claims to be a senior mechanical engineer. Unbelievable...
Mayla10
April 09, 2019

In reply to by Notstupid

Do you have any photos of this guy? I am also talking to someone on-line who contacted me through Instagram, although now we are messaging through hang outs. Also claims to work as an Engineer on an oil rig, currently working in Turkey but originally from Texas.
aries82
April 10, 2019

In reply to by Mayla10

I have a VERY if not identical situation... Can we exchange info? I'd like to see if I'm getting scammed..... :(
Notstupid
April 28, 2019

In reply to by aries82

Not sure if you were interested in additional information from me, but he also had wanted me to email with his daughter Sarah Christopher. I would not provide my email, instead I asked for hers. He attempted a couple more times to obtain my email address. I continued to state he could share hers and I would reach out on Hangouts, which I did, knowing I'd be "chatting " with him. Finally I told him we were aware of his "story". He responded with "ok", then disabled his words with friends profile of Wellington Bolt. Hope this helps. Also, I wasn't able to post his picture. Gray hair, sometimes with black rimmed glasses. Also shared pictures from the ship supposedly.
Nadi
April 25, 2019

In reply to by Mayla10

I have talked to a guy that was an engineer on an oil rig He is good looking claims to have a son He kept asking for I tunes cards He was under the name....Abbott Rowland and lately I found out he has changed his name (same picture).....Louis’s Stone He messed me up really good I had lost 8 lb I don’t know how I functioned I’m over it now but I will never forget
Gramma lola
August 05, 2020

In reply to by Nadi

Sounds like the guy I’m talking to. Crazy what they do to get you to get money from you. I’m baffled that they are allowed to do this.
Ljg197113
June 09, 2019

In reply to by Mayla10

How can we exchange photos? I think I have been talking to the same guy
Sad soul
July 05, 2020

In reply to by Notstupid

Had same situation with Wellington Bolt/Charles Cohen Asked for amazon cards, cute pictures of twin granddaughters.
Notstupid
March 25, 2019

In reply to by pblkto

Additionally, he claimed to be a man of faith, wanted his "travel agent " to arrange for my passport, (wanted to take me to Paris) claimed to be in love with me in a very short time...he reached out to me on words with friends, then wanted to continue conversations on Hangouts...
shelraec
July 07, 2020

In reply to by Notstupid

I was scammed by Wellington Bolt. Met on WWF then moved to hangouts. From Los Angeles. Daughter Sarah Guzman with twin granddaughters. Same progression. Very slick.
AngieDon't use…
June 18, 2019

In reply to by pblkto

I'm talking a Dr in Syria Mark is his name a Serbian,son in boarding school,wife died at birth of there son. He needs 1700.to take vacation. Wants to marry me ,calls me his queen good looking. LADIES THEIRS IS A HOLE PAGE OF SCAMMERS PICTURES .I FOUND HIS PICTURE . He said they stole them from him. He ain't getting a dime from me .If it sounds to good to be true go with gut feeling I still talk just to here what all he's got to say.
FLGRL
June 21, 2019

In reply to by AngieDon't use…

OMG! I spoke to “Mark” as well! Unreal. He told me the same exact story. Exactly! I never let it go so far as you did. He never asked me for money. I cut it off because I sensed that something was fishy. The nerve of these guys!
Shirley
August 02, 2020

In reply to by AngieDon't use…

Been a month, sounds similar. Widow. Working on a oil rig or ship off Atlantic coast. A son in boarding school. Adopted young. Worked all over including Turkey. Made millions. In love with me immediately. Calls me his queen. Says please don't tell anyone about him yet. Sends good looking pics supposed ly of himself. Wants to marry me as soon as his contract is done. Calls me his queen. Hasn't asked for money yet. Share a picture?
Munni
August 25, 2020

In reply to by Shirley

Hi Shirly, Do you have any pictures of him,please share with me.I am having same situation recently.i meet a man on hangouts online dating sites.He claims he is an emergency doctor on oil and gas sector in rig of Los Angeles California with Norwegian Multinational company.He is very good looking and looks like a doctor in the picture. We fall in love immediately,so decide to meet.and he told me that I have ask his emergency vacation from the company.so I did and his company want me to pay all the cost for processing fee of 1850$ ,so I sended already last Friday(19/9/2020)and they want me to send cost for replacement another doctor. Now I realized that what biggest mistake I have done.He never give any personal information, talk or chat only in hangouts and Skype. Always spoke very sweet and calls me queen, Angel and honey. He said he also have a daughter, studying in boarding schools in Atlanta,Georgia and wife is died from cancer. I think is the same person. I request him to make video calls but he never want.We always talk on Skype and chat. Please aware of this man and never send any money like I did.
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