Identifying a romance scam early can prevent financial and emotional harm. Scammers are skilled at manipulation, but there are clear warning signs to watch for. Look out for these red flags:

🔴 Too Good to Be True – Scammers often use stolen photos of attractive individuals and create fake profiles that seem almost perfect. They may claim to be wealthy business owners, doctors, engineers, or high-ranking military officers. Their stories often make them sound like the ideal partner—successful, kind, and looking for true love. If someone appears too flawless and their life sounds like a romantic movie, proceed with extreme caution.

🔴 Moving Too Fast – A major red flag is when someone professes love or deep affection very early in the relationship. Scammers use phrases like “I’ve never felt this way before,” “You’re my soulmate,” or “I can’t wait to spend my life with you”—sometimes within just days or weeks of chatting. This tactic is known as “love bombing,” and it’s designed to create emotional dependence so the victim feels obligated to help them later.

🔴 Avoiding Face-to-Face Contact – Scammers rarely agree to video calls or in-person meetings. They always have excuses: “My camera is broken,” “I’m in a classified military operation,” or “I’m on an oil rig with no signal.” Even if they do send videos, they’re often stolen from someone else’s social media. If someone consistently refuses to meet or video chat, it’s a major warning sign.

🔴 Strange Requests for Money – This is the biggest red flag. Scammers invent urgent financial crises to manipulate victims into sending money. Common excuses include:

• Travel funds – “I want to visit you, but I can’t afford the ticket right now.”
• Medical emergencies – “I’ve had an accident and need help paying for surgery.”
• Business troubles – “My bank account is frozen, and I need a short-term loan.”
• Military expenses – “I need money for leave paperwork to come home.”
• Crypto investments – “I have an amazing investment opportunity for us!”

They may initially ask for small amounts to test the victim’s willingness, but once they succeed, the requests rapidly escalate to thousands of pounds.

🔴 Poor Grammar and Spelling – Many romance scammers operate from foreign call centres and use broken English or unnatural phrasing. Watch for odd sentence structures, strange word choices, or overly formal speech that doesn’t match their supposed background. Some scammers use translation software, which can create awkward or repetitive messages.

🔴 Unverifiable Personal Details – Scammers often lie about their identity and provide little to no verifiable information. Many claim to be:

• Deployed military personnel who cannot talk freely due to “classified missions.”
• Oil rig workers or engineers on overseas contracts, making it difficult for them to meet in person.
• Doctors working in war zones who need financial help for medical supplies.

If their social media presence is suspiciously empty, or their dating profile seems too polished, be wary. Reverse image searching their profile picture can sometimes reveal it has been stolen from another person’s social media or a model’s portfolio.