Romance Scam: How It Works and How to Recover
A fabricated relationship used to manufacture trust and engineer escalating money transfers. Also known as dating scam, catfishing fraud.
Free case assessmentHow the fraud works
A romance scam uses a fabricated relationship — usually formed on a dating app or social network — to build trust over weeks or months. The 'partner' then engineers a crisis (medical bills, travel, customs charges) or introduces a 'can't-miss' investment, prompting transfers that grow over time.
Warning signs
- Refuses or always cancels video calls
- Professes love unusually quickly
- Always has an emergency that needs money
- Asks for gift cards, crypto or wire transfers
- Story details quietly change over time
Evidence to preserve
If you have been affected, gather:
- Profile details and where you first met
- Message and call logs
- Every payment sent (method, dates, amounts, recipient)
- Photos they shared (for reverse-image checks)
- Any documents they sent (IDs, contracts)
How victims recover funds
The primary recovery route is wire / swift recovery. An international wire recovery uses a recall message from your bank and, where needed, correspondent banks and the beneficiary bank's fraud team to freeze and return the funds.
Where money was wired or sent to a bank account, a prompt recall request and bank fraud complaint come first; gift-card and crypto payments require tracing. Acting quickly improves the chance of an intercept.
Romance Scam recovery by country
Select your country for the local regulator, ombudsman and recovery routes: