Watch out for Valentine’s romance scams

Looking for love this Valentine’s Day? Dating apps and social media can be great ways to meet people — but they’re also fertile ground for fraudsters. By building trust and then exploiting emotions, dating fraudsters aim to get money, personal details, or even to pull you into “investment” traps. Stay a step ahead with these clear checks and simple actions

Looking for love this Valentine’s Day? Dating apps and social media can be great ways to meet people — but they’re also fertile ground for fraudsters. By building trust and then exploiting emotions, dating fraudsters aim to get money, personal details, or even to pull you into “investment” traps. Stay a step ahead with these clear checks and simple actions.

The red flags to look for

• Everything happens online — If weeks go by and they keep finding reasons not to meet or even have a quick video chat, be cautious. Scammers often hide behind stolen or AI-generated photos.
• Accelerating intimacy —  Over-the-top affection early on (“I’ve never felt this way before”) is designed to lower your guard and make requests feel natural later.
• Sudden “emergencies” — lost wallet, medical bills, customs fees, are classic setups for the first money ask.
• Private messaging only — Moving fast to WhatsApp/Telegram or private email removes platform safety tools and makes abuse harder to report.
• Requests for money, gifts, or to use your bank account — Whether it’s gift cards, crypto, a bank transfer, or “just receiving funds for me,” the answer should always be no. If in doubt, discuss the situation with family and friends.

Quick checks before you trust

A quick image search can reveal if photographs are real or belong to someone else. You can use a reverse-image site to help with this.

By using the internet to check their story, you can see if the excuses of working on overseas oil rigs, being deployed on military humanitarian missions, or being on a film set are actually true. These backstories are commonly abused to justify no face‑to‑face contact and sudden cash needs.

Scammers generally want to rush decisions and isolate you from friends and family who might spot the signs. So, take your time and talk things through with someone you trust.

If you’re chatting to someone new, try our 3‑step pause

1. Pause the chat — don’t reply immediately to emotional messages or money hints.
2. Proof, not promises — ask for a same‑day video call; be wary of excuses.
3. Peer check — show a friend a few messages and the profile; a fresh pair of eyes helps.

Slowing things down breaks the scammer’s momentum and gives you space to think, take advice and spot inconsistencies.

Remember: genuine partners won’t ask for money, gift cards, crypto, or for you to move money for them — especially if you’ve never met in person.

If you’ve already paid or shared details

• Stop contact and preserve evidence (screenshots, receipts, usernames).
• Call your bank immediately using the number on your card; ask for a fraud block and follow their next steps.
• Report locally so others are protected:
  • States of Jersey Police: 612612 or visit Police HQ.
  • CERT JE (Jersey Cyber Security Centre): advice at 500050 or hello@cert.je for cyber‑security support.