Scam guides › Romance scam
Romance scams: when an online sweetheart asks for money
Updated . By the AskBeforeYouSend editorial team (how we fact-check). Fact-checked against the official sources listed at the bottom.
Short answer: If someone you've only met online asks for money, gift cards or crypto, it's a scam. The FTC's bottom line: never send money or gifts to a sweetheart you haven't met in person.
What it looks like
My darling, I think about you every minute. I'm stuck on the oil rig and customs is holding my pay. Could you send $2,500 in gift cards so I can finally come home to you?
A made-up example. Oil rigs, military deployments and overseas jobs are common cover stories.
How the scam works
- Someone friendly contacts you on social media or a dating app and quickly wants to chat elsewhere.
- They say it's true love but they live far away, often for work or the military, and can't meet.
- Then an emergency comes up: a ticket, a hospital bill, a customs fee.
- Some offer to teach you crypto investing instead.
Red flags
- Can't or won't video chat or meet
- Moves fast to "love"
- Any request for money, gift cards, wires or crypto
- Offers to help you invest
What to do now
- Stop sending money, even if you already have.
- Talk to a friend or family member you trust.
- Search their photos with a reverse image search to see if they were stolen.
- Report the profile to the app or site, and report the scam to the FTC and IC3.
Never send money, gift cards, crypto or verification codes because of a call, text or message. Hang up and call the real number.
Report it
Questions
How do I talk to a parent who is in a romance scam?
Stay calm and kind. Shame makes people hide it. Ask questions, offer to look at the profile together, and share this page. See our Protect your parents guide.
Sources
- FTC: What to know about romance scams
- FTC Pass It On: Romance scams
- FBI IC3 2025 Internet Crime Report
- FBI IC3: Elder fraud brochure
Example messages are made up to show the pattern unless we say otherwise. Phone numbers in examples use the fictional 555 range.
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