Sweetheart Scams

Good morning, folks! Welcome back to Fraud Fridays! This week, we will be continuing the Valentine's theme with the sweetheart scam!

This form of scam is notorious and goes by many names. Sweetheart scam, romance scam, or simply cat phishing. No matter what turn of phrase is used, the premise remains the same. Although the primary target demographic is males aged 70+, this scam is still pushed towards everyone.

So, what is it? A sweetheart scam is a form of long con aimed to create romantic feelings towards the scammer before requesting money. Many people get willy nilly with their spending when it comes to their significant others. This scam is designed to take advantage of that trust.

How does it work? Well, first they have to get into contact with you. This is done through any electronic medium. If an app or website has an unsecured messaging portal, this scam is being perpetrated through it. Just messaging you is, of course, not enough to ask for money. They'll first attempt to seduce you through sweet talk, fake pictures, and extravagant stories. They play a strong confidence game. It is important to remember that this is a long con. This means they will spend weeks, months, and in many cases even years, to gain your confidence and admiration.

Now, asking for money still doesn't immediately work. That is where sob-stories come into play. There are a lot of sob-stories to use, but the most common is them getting stranded while trying to come meet you in person. They will promise that to meet with you, all they need is a little more pocket money to pay for a flight, or ride. This is, of course, an outright fib. This person who has been seducing you is not, in any way, who they say they are. They are simply a scammer who stole pictures from online and have been sweet talking you out of your cash since day one. If money is given, the scammer will continuously come up with different lies to coerce you into giving them money. All with the never delivered promise to meet you in person. If money is not given, many victims have reported threats of blackmail. This is an egregious scam that targets some of the most susceptible, and at times, at risk people. Those who are lonely.

Thank you very much for your time and have a fantastic Friday!