Romance scammers adjust their story to what they think will work in each situation.
- Scammers say they can’t meet you in person.
They might say they’re living or traveling outside the country, working on an oil rig, in the military, or working with an international organization.
- Scammers will ask you for money.
Once they gain your trust, they’ll ask for your help to pay medical expenses (for them or a family member), buy their ticket to visit you, pay for their visa, or help them pay fees to get them out of trouble. They may even offer to help you get started in cryptocurrency investing.
- Scammers will tell you how to pay.
All scammers, not just romance scammers, want to get your money quickly. And they want your money in a way that makes it hard for you to get it back. They’ll tell you to wire money through a company like Western Union or MoneyGram, put money on gift cards (like Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, or Steam) and give them the PIN codes, send money through a money transfer app, or transfer cryptocurrency.
Scammers do these things to pressure you into acting immediately by paying money. But it’s a scam.