Love and romance scams
Fraud involving feigned feelings
The Netflix documentary "The Tinder Swindler" was the talk of the town in 2022. In it, an impostor enters into supposed romantic relationships with various women in order to ask them for money and finance his luxurious lifestyle. Such scams are no longer sad isolated cases and are registered by us as so-called love scams or romance scams. The range of methods is endless: from catfishing to love bombing, everything is included. Fraudsters create a fictional, attractive persona online and shower the victim with declarations of love within a very short time in order to obtain money or other benefits.
Catfishing…
...is a buzzword from English. It apparently goes back to the practice of adding catfish to shipments of live cod to keep the former species moving and fresh. A virtual catfish creates an attractive profile on social networks in order to specifically establish romantic online relationships or friendships. The false identity is attractive and protects the fraudsters from consequences. Some manipulate their victims in order to expose or bully them by elicit intimate secrets. Catfishing becomes particularly dangerous when it is used to manipulatively obtain sympathy, favours or money. The media in early 2025 still remembers the scam involving the "fake Brad Pitt in hospital". The impersonator of the Hollywood star managed to persuade women in France and even in Lower Austria to transfer five-figure sums in euros. The fake star pretended that he needed a lot of money for an upcoming operation, that he was unable to raise the funds himself due to alleged separation difficulties, and held out the prospect of a romantic relationship with the victims.
Lovebombing…
... refers to a manipulative tactic in which a person showers their counterpart with excessive affection, compliments and attention in order to quickly create emotional dependence. At first, the behaviour seems loving and intense, but it is often followed by a sudden change of mood, with love bombers exercising control, making demands or using emotional blackmail. There have even been cases involving threats of suicide. Love bombing is particularly dangerous in toxic relationships or scams, as victims find it difficult to recognise the manipulation. The aim is usually to gain power over the person concerned, whether for narcissistic motives, emotional control or financial exploitation.
Crypto Romance...
... refers to when an online acquaintance on social media or a dating platform suddenly comes up with investment tips. Special caution is advised here! In 2023, the FBI estimated the annual volume of crypto fraud to be around billions of dollars. A large part of this was obtained through advanced abuse of trust – i.e. through love scams. Perpetrators first deliberately gain the trust of their victims and feign genuine feelings. They then demand large sums of money for supposedly lucrative but non-existent crypto investments. They may also ask for scans of passports or identity cards. These are then used not to open a joint account as promised, but to commit identity theft for other criminal activities. You should immediately report such messages on Tinder and similar platforms to the platform itself and, in some cases, to your local police station. This is especially important if you have already disclosed personal data. If you have granted access to your device, it is important to react quickly. If transfers have already been made or bank details have been transmitted, you should contact your bank immediately.
Love makes you blind – but even when you're feeling intense emotions, you should still remain cautious. If the other person gives excuses for why they can't meet up, it might be worth doing a Google image search if you have any doubts. Do not readily disclose personal information and details about your life, and do not make direct transfers (e.g. via Money Transfer, Western Union or crypto wallets). Even with normal bank transfers, it is very difficult to get the money back. In the case of large sums, it may be possible to prove that the bank neglected its duty of care.
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