Scammers use romance, dating or friendship to get your trust and your money.

Never trust that someone you only know online is who they say they are. Scammers work hard to trick you into thinking the relationship is real, then manipulate you to get your money. They can spend years building your trust.

Scammers use social media, dating or gaming apps and websites to find people looking for love and friendship. They create fake profiles, sometimes of famous people. They might also call or message a lot to make you feel special. This is sometimes called 'love bombing'.

Once you trust them, they might tell you about an urgent problem they need your money for. They might ask you to set up accounts or transfer money they give you. Or they might convince you to use cryptocurrency and invest in a fake scheme they say is real. Either way, the scammer steals your money and disappears, and you don't get it back.

On this page

Signs it might be a scam 

  • The relationship moves fast and they soon say they have strong feelings for you. They 'lovebomb' you, messaging or calling a lot and make you feel very special.
  • The scammer quickly tries to move your chat from a social media platform or online dating to a free messaging platform like GoogleHangouts, WeChat, Line or WhatsApp.
  • Once there's an emotional connection, the scammer encourages you to make money through different investments, often cryptocurrency. They may offer to spend time 'showing you' how to make 'easy money'. 
  • They may tell you they have an emergency and urgently need your money, or ask you to set up accounts or transfer money they give you.
  • They want you to only trust them and keep things secret. They may try to cut you off from family and friends.
  • There always seems to be some reason they can’t meet in person or video chat. Often they say they're overseas, somewhere remote or their technology isn’t working.

Other 'red flags' or signs to look for

  • Their online profile doesn’t match what they tell you about themselves.
  • They ask you for personal photos, videos or information that could be used against you in the future.
  • The scammer threatens you or gets angry if you ask questions or don’t do what they ask. They may say they'll end the relationship.

Protect yourself

Lots of people look for friends and even find love online.

Just remember that scams are very common.

Keep yourself safe by staying updated on scams, and how to spot people who want your money or identity, not your love.

Never send money to someone you haven't met

  • If they ask you for money, they're probably a scammer. Stop contact straight away and get support.
  • Never send money, card or bank details, personal information or identity documents to someone you only know online, no matter how long you’ve been messaging.
  • Never agree to transfer money for someone else. They may be involving you in a crime called money laundering, and you could be charged with a criminal offence.

Check who's really there

  • Take things slowly when you meet new people online. Ask lots of questions and watch for things that don’t add up.
  • Search for the scammer’s name along with the word ‘scam’ in a search, and look for websites about romance scams in the results.
  • If you have a picture of them, do a reverse image search to find out if the same picture is online in different places, with different names or personal details. 
  • Find out more about different types of investment scams so you can spot red flags, or signs that something is a scam.

Be careful of what you share (and what you don't)

  • Never send nudes or sexually intimate photos or videos to people you don’t know. Scammers can use them to threaten and blackmail you. 
  • Don’t keep an online relationship secret. Tell people you trust about it. It can be easier for someone else to spot things that don't seem right.
  • Think carefully about sharing information about your hobbies, job or family online. Scammers can use this to hurt you, or steal your identity.
  • Find out how to stay safe on different social media platforms.
  • Find out what to do if someone is using your personal information to scam others.

 How to spot a fake profile

They usually have:

  • photos that look too professional
  • photos that are blurry or unclear
  • very little personal information
  • few or no connections to social media accounts
  • few comments, likes or shares on their social media from other people.

If you’ve been affected

  1. Act fast to stop any further losses

    Contact your bank or card provider immediately to report the scam. Ask them to stop any transactions.

    Change passwords on all your devices and online accounts like banking, email, government and shopping.

  2. Get help to recover

    IDCARE is Australia and New Zealand’s national identity and cyber support service. They can help you make a plan (for free) to limit the damage. Call them on 1800 595 160 or visit their website to find out more.

  3. Report the scam

    Once you have secured your details, you can help us try to stop the scam and warn others by reporting the scam to us.

Find out more about what to do if you've been scammed

Real life stories