Romance scams take the timeless con of the “love swindler” and supercharge it with the internet. Here, scammers create fake profiles on dating websites or social media, strike up online relationships with victims, and build trust – sometimes over many weeks or months – before orchestrating a financial request. Often the scammer impersonates an attractive single (sometimes stealing photos of real people) and targets those looking for love or companionship. Once the victim is emotionally invested, the scammer manufactures a crisis or opportunity: they need money for a medical emergency, a plane ticket to finally meet, a business investment, or even to help them out of legal trouble. The lovestruck victim, wanting to help their “partner,” sends money, only to find out later their beloved never existed.
How it Works: These scams are often run by organized groups, sometimes called “Yahoo boys” (particularly in West Africa) or other rings, though individuals may operate as well. The scammer typically avoids meeting in person, coming up with excuses (they’re working overseas on an oil rig, deployed in the military, etc.). They may spend hours each day chatting, sharing endearments, even sending small gifts – all to groom the victim. Eventually, a request for money comes: perhaps a tragic story (“I need $2,000 for emergency surgery” or “my wallet was stolen while traveling”) or a lucrative promise (“I know about a great crypto investment, send me funds and I’ll double them for us”). Often, multiple lies are layered to prolong the con. Some scammers string victims along for years, draining their savings bit by bit. It’s not just men targeting women; victims and perpetrators can be of any gender, though many schemes involve scammers in West Africa targeting older single or widowed women and men in Western countries.
Impact on Victims: Romance scams are among the costliest internet scams in recent years. According to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, in 2023 alone Americans reported losing $1.14 billion to romance scams. That was the highest of any fraud category, with more than 64,000 people affected in that year. The median individual loss was around $2,000, but many people have lost tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars – not to mention the emotional devastation when they realize the person they loved was a fraud. Victims often feel heartbroken and humiliated, which means these crimes are under-reported (shame and embarrassment keep many silent). In some cases, victims have mortgaged homes or embezzled from employers at the scammer’s urging. The damage isn’t just financial; it’s deeply psychological, eroding the victim’s ability to trust others after the betrayal.
Legal Consequences: Because romance scams often overlap with other cybercrimes (like money laundering or business email compromise), law enforcement has pursued some of the larger networks. A notable case in 2019 saw U.S. federal prosecutors indict 80 defendants (mostly Nigerian nationals) in a massive conspiracy that included romance scams and other frauds targeting the elderly. In that case, victims lost at least $6 million (and another $40 million was attempted) before the ring was disrupted. Some members of that ring have since been convicted and sentenced. Another infamous scammer, Ramon Olorunwa Abbas (known as “Hushpuppi”), though more involved in business email scams, also dabbled in romance fraud and was arrested and extradited; he received a hefty prison sentence in the U.S. in 2022. Yet, for each big bust, there are many smaller-scale romance scammers who evade capture, especially if they operate from countries with limited cybercrime enforcement. Social media companies and dating sites have started to cooperate more with authorities and to warn users, but policing millions of interactions is a daunting task.
