Some romances that start on dating apps, social media and other digital channels have a happy ending, but there are also serious risks involved when seeking love online.
Learn how to protect yourself, so you can build a meaningful relationship, not be fooled by a fake partner who steals your heart and your money.
The cost of romance scams
Australians reported losing more than $28 million to romance scams in 2025, which is $5 million more than the previous year.
South Australians lost almost $1.6 million.
Nationally, men made more romance scam reports at 56% (compared with 37% for women, and 6% for X/intersex).
But women reported bigger losses, accounting for 63% of the national total (compared with 37% for men).
People aged 65 and over had the highest total losses of any age group, at $8.8 million.
Statistics sourced from the National Anti-Scams Centre.
How scams work
When a romance scammer initially contacts you, they may sound like an ideal match. They might have an appealing profile and claim to have similar interests or experiences to you.
Scammers may use a fake name or steal the identity of real people to create their online profile. They’ll exchange messages, photos or videos with you, but these are likely to be stolen or AI-generated.
Scammers build trust over weeks and months, and once you’re emotionally invested they ask for money.
Watch out for red flags
Be wary of someone who:
- makes excuses why they can’t meet in person or via live video chat
- 'love-bombs' you – professes deep feelings quickly to gain your trust
- wants to quickly move your chat from a social media platform or online to free messaging platforms like WhatsApp, WeChat, Signal, Telegram or Line
- says they have an emergency and urgently requests money from you
- asks you to invest in ‘easy money’ schemes, such as cryptocurrency
- wants you to keep the relationship secret.
Check them out
- Review their LinkedIn or Facebook profiles, including checking friends and followers.
- Check their photo. To do this, screenshot and download their photo, then upload it to images.google.com (external site). Choose the camera icon and check the results. You might find the image belongs to someone else.
- Insist on meeting in person or via live video chat when you first connect.
Be careful what information you share
- Be careful what you share on your own profile and when communicating with others on social media. Scammers may use details to target you.
- Never share personal identification documents – e.g. your driver’s licence, passport, banking or credit card details.
- Be wary of sharing explicit or intimate images with someone you’ve only ever met online, even over apps that don’t store images. Scammers may find a way of recording these images and using them to their advantage later.
If you’ve been scammed
People who’ve been through a romance scam can experience embarrassment, disbelief, shock and trauma. But it’s important to understand you’re not alone. There are actions you can take, there’s help available, and reporting your experience can help others.
- If you’ve already shared your bank account details or transferred money, contact your bank or financial institution immediately.
- A scammer might try to set up new mobile phone accounts in your name or access your superannuation account, so contact police if you think you may be at risk of fraud or identify theft.
- If a friend or family member seems to be caught in a romance scam, talk to them about the warning signs and share tips on staying safe. For more, see scamwatch.gov.au/types-of-scams/dating-romance (external site).
- You can make a report to Scamwatch (external site) or report a cybercrime to ReportCyber (external site).
- For confidential and free advice, or if you need to talk to someone, contact:
- 📞 Lifeline: Call 13 11 24 or visit lifeline.org.au (external site)
- 📞 Beyond Blue: Call 1300 22 4636 or visit beyondblue.org.au (external site)
