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You meet someone special on a dating website. Soon he wants to move off the dating site to email or phone calls. He tells you he loves you, but he lives far away — maybe for business, or because he’s in the military.
Then he asks for money. He might say it’s for a plane ticket to visit you. Or emergency surgery. Or something else urgent.
Scammers, both male and female, make fake dating profiles, sometimes using photos of other people — even stolen pictures of real military personnel. They build relationships — some even fake wedding plans — before they disappear with your money.
Here’s what you can do:
- Stop. Don’t send money. Never wire money, put money on a prepaid debit card, or send cash to an online love interest. You won’t get it back.
- Pass this information on to a friend. You may not have gotten one of these calls, but chances are you know someone who will get one — if they haven’t already.
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