The unfortunate truth is that romance scams are more popular than ever these days, even in 2024.

Scammers target vulnerable individuals who are looking for love. They understand that people around the globe don’t want to be lonely.

The worst part? Dating online has become the most typical and common way for people to meet each other these days. Online dating makes it incredibly easy for scammers to dig their heels into unknowing victims.

The team at SOAX just provided some solid advice about how people can avoid romance scams while dating online.

Romance scammers may exhibit these red flags

According to SOAX, the number one red flag to look out for is spelling mistakes. If the person you’re conversing with online uses awkward syntax and doesn’t know how to spell basic words, there’s a chance they’re a scammer.

Red flag number two? If they send money requests with an urgent tone. Sending financial requests your way that require immediate action is a massive red flag!

If you’re chatting with someone online who’s urgently pressing you to partake in a financial transaction, it’s a clear sign you’re about to get scammed.

What questions are they asking? If they start asking you for sensitive information, that’s a red flag number three.

They shouldn’t be inquiring about your bank details, login passwords, secret answers to security questions, your mother’s maiden name, which financial institutions you work with, or anything of that nature.

Your financial details aren’t anyone else’s business – especially not a stranger you’ve been chatting with online.

Fight back against romance scammers

Do your due diligence. Check out their profiles. Dig through their social media platforms to see if they are a real person or not.

It’s usually easy to tell if someone’s using a fake profile if they don’t have real people on their friends list or they don’t have very many posts to sift through.

If they’re a scammer, odds are, they’re also catfishing you. If this is the case, they’ll be uncomfortable by the idea of hopping on a video call with you.

Ask them to send you a selfie of themselves holding an upside down water bottle, a salt shaker, a tennis shoe, a phone charger, or something else.

If they can’t send you a picture of themselves holding the object you’ve requested, they are probably scamming you.

Also, keep in mind that some scammers may utilize Photoshop to try and trick you. Keep an eye out for that as well.

Do a deep dive on their email address and phone number as well. Don’t click any links they might send your way. There’s a possibility they’re trying to get malware downloaded onto your devices.

Remember that it’s easier to be patient as you wait for the right person to come along than to entertain the wrong person – especially if they end up being a scammer.