Victim is led to believe that they have a personal relationship with someone they met online often by social media, in an online forum or on a dating website. The scam can be over a long or short period of time and some have been known to go for years.  The victim is often emotionally attached to the person and the scammer can propose marriage.  They can often refer to the victim as their wife, husband or fiancée.   There are many different things to watch out for and the list below is some of them we have come across.

• You meet online and the “relationship” progresses quickly
• Your “love interest” begins asking you to send money
• The scammer may pose as a member of the American military, stationed overseas
• You meet on a dating website, but the other person urges you to leave that site and communicate through social media, personal email or instant messaging
• The other person moves quickly, professing love too soon in the relationship
• He or she sends a photograph that looks too good to be true
• They can’t video call as their computer or phone camera is broken
• They ask for money to help them get visas to come and visit
• They ask for money to pay for airfares to travel to visit
• They have a problem they need help with – e.g.  car breaks down and can’t pay to get fixed,  family member in hospital and can’t pay the bill, lost their job and they needs funds to support their family
• They send you documents to make you think they are travelling or have a bill they need help with.

  

• They start on their journey to visit but something happens on the way and they don’t make it. E.g. Hit by a taxi and needs funds for hospital bills while stuck in another country.  A family member rings to say they were mugged and don’t have their passport or cash to continue the trip and need money to help them go home.
• They don’t arrive at the airport on the flight and tell you that customs wouldn’t let them in as they had the wrong visa.  Truth is they never left