Online Dating Scams

Here’s how they work: 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:

1.    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.

2.    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.

Please Report Scams. If you spot a scam, please report it to the Federal Trade Commission.

·         Call the FTC at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or TTY 1-866-653-4261

·         Go online: ftc.gov/complaint

Your complaint can help protect other people. By filing a complaint, you can help the FTC’s investigators identify the imposters and stop them before they can get someone’s hard-earned money. It really makes a difference.

Federal Trade Commission/ftc.gov/PassItOn