{"id":92175,"date":"2025-02-05T16:08:38","date_gmt":"2025-02-05T21:08:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rbcroyalbank.com\/en-ca\/?post_type=rbc_my_money_matter&p=92175"},"modified":"2025-02-05T16:11:48","modified_gmt":"2025-02-05T21:11:48","slug":"how-to-protect-yourself-from-romance-scams","status":"publish","type":"rbc_my_money_matter","link":"https:\/\/www.rbcroyalbank.com\/en-ca\/my-money-matters\/money-academy\/cyber-security\/cyber-security-for-business\/how-to-protect-yourself-from-romance-scams\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Protect Yourself from Romance Scams"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Romance scams are one of the leading scams in Canada, the U.S. and many countries around the world. Already the leading scam in 2018<\/a>, losses due to romance scams continued to rise through the 2020s. A recent Norton report<\/a> highlights this troubling trend, revealing that online dating scams increased by 72% in the past year alone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nearly 350 million people<\/a> worldwide use dating apps and sites, and participation continues to grow. While the popularity of online dating steadily climbs, however, so does the presence of romance scammers. Not only stealing money from their victims, these scammers can also cause significant emotional harm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some of the best ways to protect yourself and your loved ones from becoming a victim of a romance scam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be cautious about sharing information online<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the reasons romance scammers are so successful in manipulating victims is that they do their research: they learn what individuals are interested in, what their hobbies are, where they love to travel, and even where they live. Consider this: You love to garden and go hiking in the winter. By posting pictures of these hobbies on Instagram, you give scammers details about you that they can use to get close to you. A question about your favourite winter hikes in the area would undoubtedly catch your eye!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While you may not be prepared to give up your social accounts (and nor should you have to), there are some things you can do to limit the personal details you reveal to strangers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Keep your social accounts private \u2013 only allow people you know personally to follow you<\/p>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n

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    Regularly go through your friends and followers \u2013 if you don\u2019t have a real relationship with someone anymore, delete them<\/p>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n

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    When you\u2019re chatting with someone on a dating site, hold back on some personal details \u2013 don\u2019t share everything about yourself<\/p>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n

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    Create a profile name that doesn\u2019t give away too much \u2013 avoid using your last name, year of birth or place of work<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Recognize the red flags<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Romance scams aren\u2019t always easy to spot \u2013 especially when you become emotionally invested in a relationship. Many people also believe that they simply wouldn\u2019t fall for a romance scam \u2013 they\u2019re too smart for that! The reality is that even the brightest, most experienced, most skeptical people can fall victim to a romance scam. This is because these scammers know what they\u2019re doing, often have a team of people working with them (along with proven scripts and tactics they can use) and know how to prey on people\u2019s vulnerabilities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    That\u2019s why avoiding romance scams takes a good measure of diligence and perceptiveness. Here are some of the most common red flags of a romance scam:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      Someone looks too perfect \u2013 their profile picture resembles a model more than a regular person<\/p>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n

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      Their profile picture is an extreme close-up or just a partial photo \u2013 this suggests they want to hide their \u201cidentity\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n

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      The individual you\u2019re chatting with showers you with over-the-top affection and compliments early in the relationship \u2013 this is a sign a scammer is trying to win you over quickly<\/p>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n

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      Soon after connecting, they want to leave the dating site and ask to communicate directly \u2013 dating sites now have tools that can detect romance scams, so taking a conversation offline increases a scammer\u2019s chance at success<\/p>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n

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      They claim their job makes them unable to connect in person \u2013 i.e., they are in the military, work on an oil rig, or work in an undisclosed branch of government<\/p>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n

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      They promise to meet in person but always come up with an excuse why they can\u2019t \u2013 if you haven\u2019t met the person after a few months, there is reason to be suspicious<\/p>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n

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      They ask for money \u2013 this is a bright red flag that someone is trying to scam you. Even if you\u2019ve been in an online relationship for several months or the amount they ask for is small, any request for an online transfer, prepaid gift card or investment dollars is a sign of a scam. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      Involve your friends or family<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      While you may understandably want to keep your personal life personal, one of the best ways you can protect yourself against a romance scam is to keep someone else in the loop about who you\u2019re connecting with online. Compared with someone who is emotionally connected, an individual with an outside perspective may be in a better position to spot red flags.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      While you don\u2019t need to share every conversation, letting a trusted friend or family member in on the direction and nature of the online relationship can help avoid heartbreak. Remember, if they try to isolate you from friends or family, that\u2019s a signal they\u2019re running a romance scam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Do your research, ask questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Online scammers helped launch the term \u201cCatfishing,\u201d which happens when someone lures another into a relationship through a fictional persona. As many romance scammers are not who they appear to be, they can\u2019t often stand up to a few simple questions. Here\u2019s how you can test their authenticity:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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        Use online searches, like Google\u2019s reverse image search, to research the person\u2019s photo and profile and see if they have been used elsewhere<\/p>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n

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        Ask questions about specific experiences \u2013 i.e., \u201cCan you walk me through your trip to Italy? What cities did you visit?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n

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        Ask about their local area, such as their favourite local restaurant<\/p>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n

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        If you\u2019re on a video call, ask to see something in the room they\u2019re in \u2013 such as the view out their window or a pet they claim to own. Asking for the person to move around can help reveal AI-generated\/enhanced personas<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        While romance scams continue to cheat people out of money, love and trust, it is possible to avoid being a financial or emotional victim. Navigating online dating platforms armed with your own tactics and defenses can help you fend off fraudsters and find people with a similar objective \u2013 to find someone real to connect with.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Romance scams remain the most prevalent scams across the globe. Find out how to protect yourself and your loved ones.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":80,"featured_media":92194,"parent":57323,"menu_order":0,"template":"wp-custom-template-optimizely-mmm","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[132,524,135,522,73],"rbc_content_type":[31],"rbc_audience":[59,39,300,93,49,61],"rbc_lob_group":[133],"rbc_difficulty_level":[33],"rbc_mmm_category":[321,304,375],"class_list":["post-92175","rbc_my_money_matter","type-rbc_my_money_matter","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-cyber-crime","tag-cyber-security","tag-cyber-tips","tag-family","tag-relationships","rbc_content_type-article","rbc_audience-newcomer","rbc_audience-parents","rbc_audience-relationships","rbc_audience-seniors","rbc_audience-students","rbc_audience-youth","rbc_lob_group-cyber-security","rbc_difficulty_level-beginner","rbc_mmm_category-cyber-security","rbc_mmm_category-money-academy","rbc_mmm_category-understanding-cyber-safety"],"acf":{"contently_publication_id":"","custom_author":"Diane Amato","rbc_video_header":"","rbc_media_duration":"","rbc_video_keywords":"","rbc_video_description":"","rbc_video_upload_date":"","rbc_toc_for_mmm_tag":"h2","rbc_toc_for_mmm_limit":6,"rbc_toc_for_mmm":null,"rbc_toc_for_mmm_action":""},"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n