How to Spot Fake Dating Profiles and Romance Scams

What a romance scam looks like

A romance scam starts with a connection that feels personal: frequent messages, compliments, shared interests, talk of a future together. The goal is trust. Once that trust is in place, the ask arrives — money for a ticket, a medical bill, a visa, or "help" investing in crypto or stocks. The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the FBI both warn that scammers often push you off the dating app quickly, chat intensively, and invent reasons they cannot meet in person.

According to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) 2025 Annual Report, Confidence/Romance fraud accounted for 23,159 complaints and about $929.3 million in reported losses that year. The same report says victims of romance scams with a likely AI nexus lost over $19 million — AI chat scripts and synthetic media make fake profiles harder to spot. Those figures only count what people reported to IC3; the true total is likely higher.

This guide is a practical checklist, not a guarantee. For the steps to take before an in-person meetup, read our safe meetup guide.

⚠ Warning: video calls and intimate content

Treat this section as non-negotiable. Scammers increasingly use video to look real. A face on a screen is not proof of who someone is.

Video calls are not proof of identity. The person on camera may not be who they claim. Scammers can play a pre-recorded clip, use someone else's video, or deepfakes. The FBI notes that photos and videos are not proof people are who they say they are; images can be altered or stolen.

Verification tip: on a live call, ask them to do a random specific action you invent in the moment — for example hold up two fingers, then three, touch their ear, turn to show the room behind them, or say a word you choose. A looped recording or a pre-baked deepfake cannot react. If they refuse, freeze, "lose connection," or only send a pre-recorded clip, treat that as a hard stop.

Never share nude or intimate images or video — on camera or in chat. Anything you send can be recorded, screenshotted, and used for sextortion or blackmail. The FBI and FTC say the same core advice if it happens: do not pay, do not send more images, cut off contact, keep evidence (usernames, messages, payment records, URLs), report the account to the platform, and report to authorities. Adults can use StopNCII.org to help platforms find and remove matching intimate images via hashes (the tool does not upload your photo). Report financially motivated sextortion and romance fraud to the FBI at ic3.gov; tip the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL-FBI; and contact local police. If a minor is involved, use NCMEC's CyberTipline / Take It Down. Do not pay "removal" companies that charge fees — the FBI warns those may be further scams.

• Live random-action check on video before you trust the face on screen.
• No nudes, no intimate live video, no "just this once" exceptions.
• If blackmailed: do not pay → stop contact → keep evidence → report platform + IC3 / StopNCII.org / local police.

Red flags on a dating profile

No single red flag proves a scam, but several together are a strong signal. RAINN notes that incomplete or "too perfect" profiles can point to bots or scammers. Cross-check what you see with what they say in chat.

• Stock-looking photos, professional model shots, or a gallery that looks scraped from the web.
• Very few photos, or every photo is heavily filtered and never shows the same setting twice.
• A bio that is vague, full of typos that do not match claimed education, or copied from another profile.
• They claim to live nearby but always have a reason they cannot meet (military deployment, oil rig, overseas work, constant travel) — a pattern the FTC flags.
• They push hard to leave the app for WhatsApp, Telegram, email or private social accounts within the first conversations (FTC and RAINN).
• Love-bombing: intense affection, future plans, or "you are the only one who understands me" within days.
• They ask you to keep the relationship secret from friends or family (Our Watch).

How to verify a person (checklist)

Verification is about consistency over time, not one clever trick. Combine several checks before sharing money, travel plans, or intimate content.

• Reverse image search their main photos (for example Google Images camera upload, or a similar tool). The FTC says a photo under a different name or mismatched details is a warning; finding no results is not reassurance by itself.
• Search their claimed name + job + city, and search the job type plus the word "scammer" — the FTC suggests this when the story feels off.
• Stay on the platform's chat until you have met in person when you can; platform reporting and blocking tools matter.
• Do a live video call with a random action check (see the warning section above). A still photo, a voice note, or a one-way "here's a video of me" clip is not enough.
• Compare spoken details across days: workplace, schedule, friends' names, timezone. Inconsistencies that need new excuses are a warning.
• Never send passwords, one-time codes, bank details, or remote-access to your device.
• Before a first in-person meetup, follow the safe meetup guide: public place, own transport, tell a trusted person.

How the money ask usually arrives

FTC consumer alerts describe a familiar arc: daily chat, excuses for never meeting, then a request for money — a medical emergency, tickets to visit you, visa fees, or "help" investing. Payment is steered toward hard-to-reverse channels: wire transfers, gift cards, payment apps, or cryptocurrency.

IC3's 2025 report also describes crypto investment fraud that often starts on dating apps or social media, then moves to a messaging app and a fake trading platform. Romance and investment stories can blend: the "partner" becomes your investment coach. Do not send money or open accounts they recommend.

A request to receive money in your account and pass it on can itself be fraud — Our Watch warns this may amount to a crime. Decline and walk away.

• Rule of thumb: no money, gift cards, crypto, or investments for anyone you have not met face to face.
• Hard-to-reverse payment methods are a warning, not a convenience.
• "I will pay you back next week" after an urgent ask is still an ask for money.

If you already sent money or were scammed

Act quickly. Contact the bank, card issuer, wire service, payment app or crypto platform you used and ask whether a recall or freeze is possible. File a complaint with the FBI IC3 at ic3.gov (include transaction details). Report the account on the dating or messaging platform. Tell someone you trust. The FTC also asks people to report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov so investigators can see patterns.

Ignore "recovery" firms that cold-contact you offering to get the money back for a fee — IC3 and the FBI warn that recovery scams target people who already lost funds.

If someone threatens to share intimate images (sextortion)

This is the same advice as in the warning box, expanded. Sextortion can start on any app where people chat. After they have one image or clip, they threaten to publish it unless you pay or send more.

Do not pay. Do not send more images. Do not give them device or account access. Block and stop communicating. Keep copies of the threats and usernames for evidence. Report each post or account to the platform. Adults: use StopNCII.org to hash images you still have so participating platforms can detect matches. Report to local police and to the FBI (ic3.gov, tips.fbi.gov, or 1-800-CALL-FBI). The FTC's image-based abuse guidance also points adults to StopNCII.org and to reporting platforms that fail to remove qualifying intimate images. You are not to blame for being targeted.

A short note about Who In

Who In is built around profiles people choose to make visible themselves — there is no free-text messaging inside the product. Moving a conversation to another app means that app's blocking and reporting tools apply. A mutual interest badge is not an identity check and not a safety guarantee. Who you meet, and whether you meet, is your decision. For first meetups, use the safe meetup guide.