Never Send Money to Someone You Have Not Met in Person
A romance scam does not begin with a request for money. It begins with a message — on a dating app, a social media platform, or sometimes a game or community forum. The person on the other end is attentive, interested, and consistent. They remember what you tell them. Over weeks or months they build a genuine emotional connection. Then an emergency arises, or an opportunity to invest together, or a complication that only money can resolve. And because the relationship feels real, the money often follows.
The Verified 2025 Numbers
Sources: FTC Consumer Sentinel Network Q3 2025 (Global Dating Insights Feb 2026); FBI IC3 2025 Annual Report (Senior News Line June 2026); NordVPN Research March 2026.
Why This Scam Reaches Six-Figure Losses
The FBI notes that older adults with accumulated savings, who may also experience loneliness or isolation, are a primary target demographic precisely because the emotional investment runs deeper and the financial resources are larger. When asked why they continued sending money after early warning signs appeared, many victims say the same thing: they could not accept that the relationship was not real. That is not a failure of intelligence — it is a feature of how these operations are deliberately designed.
Specific Steps That Stop This Before It Starts
Before any financial conversation arises, do a reverse image search on any photos the person has sent. Right-click the image and select "Search image" or use Google Images. If the photo belongs to someone else — a model, a soldier, a professional — the profile picture will appear on other websites. This single step exposes a significant portion of romance scam profiles before any money changes hands.
Never send money — by any method — to someone you have not met in person, regardless of how long you have been communicating. Report the profile to the platform where contact was made, and to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Call the AARP Fraud Watch Helpline at 1-877-908-3360 — no membership required — for support and next steps after any contact that raised concern.
With care,
Mike Bridges
Founder, The O55 Report