The emergence of social media and dating apps have allowed many people to find partners or make friends online. However, scammers also seize this opportunity to find their new victims and defraud them of their money with fake romantic relationships. While scammers may have different tactics, their tricks often have something in common. Paying attention to the following 10 signs of romance scam can help you spot the risks.
1. Fast-moving relationship: right after meeting a victim online, scammers may try to build a close connection by expressing strong feelings, and addressing the target intimately as “babe," "honey" or "darling”. The scammer may try to initiate a conversation regularly, check in on the victim, and talk about dreams and future plans, creating a romantic illusion of fate.
2. A perfect image: the scammers may draw attention by highlighting their good looks, successful career and wealth. However, these fake “professionals” or “wealthy heirs” often sound lonely as they want the victims to sympathise with them.
3. Refuse to meet in person: scammers always insist on communicating through texts or voice messages, claiming that they are now living abroad, occupied with work, family duties or military service, or struggling with a poor network connection. Even if they accept a video call, it may actually be a deepfake video generated by AI.
4. Sudden mood swings: once the romantic relationship is established, the scammer may appear to be very affectionate at first, and may suddenly vanish for a few days, keeping the victim hooked with an “emotional rollercoaster” experience.
5. Creating a fantasy: scammers may make promises about meeting up, travelling together, living together, or even getting married - empty words that draw the victims closer emotionally.
6. Financial requests: once the relationship seems stable, scammers may ask for money using various excuses, such as cash flow problems, medical bills, or travel expenses for the meetups.
7. Talk about investments: scammers may gradually steer the conversation toward investments, and claim that they have insider tips or stress the excellent investment opportunities, for examples virtual assets, overseas funds, or gambling platforms etc., promising high return and low risk.
8. Specific trading platforms: victims may be asked to use a specific yet obscure trading platform that generally cannot be found via search engines. The relevant mobile app is also not available on official app store, and can only be downloaded through an unofficial platform.
9. Urging you to act fast: scammers may create a sense of urgency and urge the victims to invest immediately. Victims may also be isolated and requested to keep it secret from their family and friends.
10. Unable to withdraw the money: the recommended investments may appear to be profitable, and the victims may even be able to withdraw part of the returns. After gaining their trust, the scammers will then encourage the targets to invest more. However, when the victims try to withdraw their money, they may have to deal with various issues, such as withdrawal limits, frozen accounts, or demands for taxes or administrative fees. Eventually, they will no longer be able to access the trading platform, and the scammers will simply disappear.
If you notice any of the signs mentioned above, remember to stay alert, refuse any financial arrangements, and talk to your family or friends. You can also call the Hong Kong Police’s Anti-Scam Helpline 18222 for assistance.
