How Romance Scammers Target Dating App Users
June 6, 2025
In this day and age, it is perfectly normal to meet your romantic partner on a dating app. Unfortunately, it is also normal to be targeted by scammers on platforms like Tinder, Hinge, Bumble, and OKCupid. A 2024 survey found that about half of all people have encountered a romance scammer while trying internet dating.
Romance scammers don’t hack your information. Instead, they try to hack your emotions and trust. They use dating apps to develop a fake relationship with the end goal of receiving money from you. The FTC says romance scammers stole over $1 billion from Americans — and that’s just from people who reported being scammed.
Common Tactics Used by Romance Scammers
To avoid being scammed, we suggest familiarizing yourself with some of the steps and signs of many romance scammers:
Fake profiles: Scammers create fictitious accounts using attractive photos to lure in potential suitors. They often claim to live or work far away as an easy excuse to not meet in person.
Love-bombing: Fraudsters don’t want to waste time slowly building a relationship. Usually, they fast-track feelings by using the L-word within a few days and showering you with compliments. They discuss a happy future with you to help solidify these feelings.
Moving Off the App: The scammer will probably encourage you to use another platform (like text messages or WhatsApp) to continue the conversation off the app. Since some dating apps have some safety checks and fraud detection measures, this makes it harder for the scamming behavior to be identified.
A Scary Emergency: Once you’ve become emotionally invested in this relationship, the scammer invents a crisis to take advantage of your kindness. It could be legal troubles, a medical emergency, etc. The scammer insists they need money urgently so that you act before having a chance to think through the situation.
Untraceable Payments: Inevitably, the scammer asks you to send money — usually in an untraceable way. Money sent via wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or gift cards is much more difficult to recover. After receiving the money, the scammer may disappear — or continue messaging in the hope of receiving even more payments soon after.
Spot Romance Scams Early
Romance scams are a sad part of the modern dating experience, but you can protect your heart and money by being savvy to their tricks. Hopefully, knowing scammers’ tactics can help prevent you from being taken advantage of while dating online. If you’d like some backup, don’t forget that you can use ScamFerret to check for manipulative messages or scammer patterns in real time. Good luck in your search for love and stay safe out there!
