I felt the need to write this article because of my recent catfish experience. While I am not a frequent visitor on dating sites, I started chatting with a seemingly charming man on Tinder. He seemed like a normal guy, with a few clear photos and a decent profile description. He was polite and a good communicator. He certainly sparked my interest. Yet, I felt like something was off. He just did not seem or sound like majority of the guys out there. Listening to my gut feeling, I did a quick check on a catfishing‑scan site and discovered his photos belonged to someone else. Luckily, I’d stumbled upon a romance scam before it had the chance to empty my wallet.
If you’re a single mom navigating the world of online dating, you’re going through a lot of weeds alone — and scammers know it. In 2021, victims reported $547 million in losses to romance scams, an 80 % increase from the previous year. Fraudsters are getting creative, using deepfake video calls and AI‑generated messages to lure people in.
I wrote this guide to share the red flags I learned, highlight the new scamming trends, and explain how to protect both your heart and your money.
The Rise of Romance Scams
Romance scammers use social engineering, manipulating people’s emotions to gain trust and money. According to the Federal Trade Commission, in 2021 people paid these scammers mostly with gift cards and cryptocurrency, and 60 percent of payments reported in 2022 were via cryptocurrency or bank wire. Fraudsters know that once a gift card code or crypto payment is sent, it’s nearly impossible to get the money back. However, a lot of scammers are also successful with getting a hold of their victim’s credit cards, chequing, and savigns accounts by gainign trust and creating fake scenarios of needing help financially.
How Romance Scammers Operate
Romance scammers typically create fake profiles using stolen photos and invent elaborate and emotional backstories. Here are some of the common red flags listed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement:
Living or working abroad: They claim to be overseas — on a military base, oil rig or working with an international organization. That makes it easy to avoid meeting in person.
A specific messaging style and online presence: Their messages may be vague and they have few friends or authentic posts on social media. Some fraudsters, however, create fake website and fake socail media profiles to fake their authenticity.
Quick professions of love: They move quickly, declaring linterest, love and wanting to move the conversation off the dating app to text or email.
Inconsistent stories and excuses: They cancel video calls, claim their camera is broken or the connection is poor and provide conflicting information.
Requests for money or “investment help”: Once trust is established, they ask for money—often for a supposed emergency, travel expenses, medical bills or to help them invest in crypto.
Tactics to Demand Payment
Scammers pressure victims to send money in ways that make it hard to recover. According to ICE, they often:
Request cryptocurrency or wire transfers: About 60 percent of romance‑scam payments in 2022 were sent via crypto or bank wires.
Ask for gift cards, new credit cards, or money apps: Smaller sums may be requested via gift cards or payment apps because those methods offer anonymity.
Drop “investment tips”: They might encourage you to try a crypto investment platform, then send you to a fake website that drains your funds.
New Scamming Trends for 2025
Scammers continuously refine their techniques. Recent trends include:
Deepfake video calls and AI‑assisted messaging: Experian notes that scammers now use generative AI to deepfake video calls or automate conversations. This means you might “see” a face on video—even though it isn’t real.
“Accidental” text messages: Many scams start with a wrong‑number text like “Sorry, I’m running late…” Responding politely can lead to a friendly conversation that slowly turns romantic.
Mixing romance and investment scams: Fraudsters may initially ask for a small favor, then invite you to invest in crypto or a business venture. Once you send money, they disappear.
How to Protect Yourself
Knowing the signs is the first line of defense. Follow these tips to stay safe:
Go slow and ask questions. Don’t let anyone rush you. Scammers create urgency to make you act without thinking. Ask specific questions and watch for inconsistent answers.
Keep conversations on the platform. Dating apps and social networks have fraud detection. Scammers push you to WhatsApp or email to avoid monitoring.
Do a reverse image search. Upload the person’s photo to a reverse‑image search engine to see if it appears under a different name. This is how I discovered the man I was talking to had stolen someone else’s pictures.
Limit personal information. Avoid sharing your address, work details or family information. Scammers use personal details to tailor their stories.
Never send money or cryptocurrency. The FTC bluntly says: Never send money or gifts to someone you haven’t met in person and have deep trust with. If they ask, it’s a scam.
Talk to someone you trust. Friends or family can provide perspective. If something feels off, get a second opinion.
Listen to your gut. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is.
If You Suspect a Scam
If you think you’ve been targeted:
Stop communication immediately and block them on all channels.
Report the profile to the dating app or social platform; this helps protect others.
Contact local law enforcement and report the incident to your country’s fraud reporting agency (in Canada, that’s the Canadian Anti‑Fraud Centre; in the U.S., report to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov)
Check your finances for unusual activity and consider freezing your credit or changing account details.
Conclusion
Online dating should be a place to build new connections, not to worry about losing hard‑earned money. Romance scammers rely on loneliness, trust and hope, but you can protect yourself by learning their tactics and listening to your intuition. Share this article with your single‑mom friends and empower each other to enjoy online dating safely. With vigilance and community support, we can make it much harder for scammers to succeed.