“I became enamored with him, and he professed to share the same feelings for me,” recounted a victim of a romance scam, who wished to remain unnamed. They encountered a man named “Bob” on Facebook, who asserted he was in South Africa serving in the military.

After some conversations, Bob expressed his desire to visit the victim, who resides in the United States. Indeed, he began requesting money: “He informed me he encountered problems with his bank card in South Africa and was unable to access funds for his flight,” the anonymous individual shared. “He inquired if I could send the funds to cover his [flight] and other expenses.”

The victim, similar to numerous others, wired money to the con artist. Romance scams constitute a multimillion-dollar issue, and it seems to be escalating. Per the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), individuals reportedly lost $547 million due to romance scams in 2021, marking an 80 percent increase from the previous year. Subsequently, in 2025, two senators urged the CEO of Match Group to take action against romance scams, indicating that the issue is continuing to grow.

But what exactly are romance scams, and how can one steer clear of them?

What are romance scams?

Romance scams are also referred to as confidence scams because they necessitate the scammer building the victim’s trust. They represent a type of social manipulation where scammers frequently create fictitious profiles on dating or social media sites to begin conversing with victims and establish emotional ties, explained trial lawyer and partner at The Clark Law Office, David Clark.

Scammers typically target individuals who are in vulnerable situations — for instance, those who are elderly or have recently experienced divorce or widowhood. Nonetheless, “it’s crucial to understand that these scams can affect anyone, regardless of their level of financial literacy,” noted Tommy Gallagher, a former investment banker and founder of Top Mobile Banks, a platform dedicated to digital banking.

Once they secure the victims’ trust, scammers will start soliciting money. They will fabricate reasons such as experiencing a medical crisis or even expressing a desire to visit the victim, much like Bob did. As the victim begins to wire funds, the scammer will continue to demand more until the victim is financially depleted, stated Clark.

Sadly, that’s what transpired with the victim Mashable consulted: “Every day, he [raised] one problem or another, insisting