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Freedom251 › Blog › Account Security

What to Do If You’ve Been Scammed by Someone You Met on a Dating App

By Freedom251 Team · · 6 min read

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If someone you met on a dating app tricked you into sending money or sharing sensitive information, stop contact and act quickly. Contact the bank, card issuer, payment app, or other service you used and ask what can still be stopped or disputed; recovery is not guaranteed. Then report the account, make the appropriate reports, and secure any exposed accounts or devices. The reporting details below are for the United States; if you live elsewhere, use your country’s consumer-protection and police reporting channels.

What should I do if I was scammed by someone I met on a dating app?

Take these steps in order. You do not need to pay anyone or buy a product to begin.

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  1. Stop contact. Do not send more money, gifts, verification codes, passwords, financial details, or intimate material. Do not click links or open files they sent. The FBI’s romance-scam guidance and the FTC’s romance-scam guidance both advise ending communication with a suspected scammer.
  2. Tell someone you trust. Ask a friend or family member to help you make calls and keep track of what you have done. Scammers may try to isolate people from friends and family; a trusted person can help you focus on practical next steps.
  3. Contact the payment provider immediately. Call the bank or credit union, card issuer, payment app, wire-transfer company, or other service you used. Tell it the payment was induced by a scam, provide transaction details, and ask whether it can be stopped, recalled, reversed, disputed, or refunded. Report any new suspicious transactions as well. Options depend on the payment method and provider, and no outcome is guaranteed. The FTC’s scam-response guidance explains why contacting the provider promptly matters.
  4. Preserve what you can, then report the profile. If it is safe and practical, save the profile name, screenshots, messages, payment details, and relevant dates before you lose access to them. Use the dating service’s reporting process; the FTC and FBI advise notifying the service where the contact began.
  5. Make agency reports. In the United States, report fraud to ReportFraud.ftc.gov. For internet-enabled criminal activity, submit a report to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3); the FBI also lists reporting through a local field office. If there is immediate physical danger, contact local emergency services.
  6. Secure anything the person could access. If you shared a password, login code, financial account information, or access to a computer or phone, follow the account and device steps below.

Reporting can help authorities and platforms identify patterns, but it does not guarantee that a payment will be recovered or that a particular case will lead to an investigation or prosecution. The FBI has specifically asked victims to report despite the embarrassment that can follow a personal relationship built through an online imposter; see its Washington Field Office statement.

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Can I get my money back?

Possibly, but it depends on how you paid, the provider’s current procedures, and how quickly you contact it. Ask the provider what action is still available for that exact transaction rather than assuming a payment can or cannot be reversed. Use the phone number on your card or the provider’s official website or app—not a number or link the person you met sent you.

  • Give the provider the transaction date, amount, recipient details, and any reference number. Explain clearly that you were deceived into making the payment.
  • Ask whether it can stop a pending transfer, recall or reverse a completed payment, open a dispute, or review an unauthorized charge. The available route differs by provider and payment type.
  • Follow the provider’s instructions and keep its case or reference number, the date of your call, and copies of messages or receipts.

What if I sent cryptocurrency or gift cards?

Contact the company or service you used to buy, hold, or transfer cryptocurrency or gift-card funds and ask what steps it can take. Preserve receipts, wallet or transaction identifiers, and messages. Do not assume a transfer can be reversed: the sources cited here do not establish a recovery process or outcome for every cryptocurrency or gift-card transaction. Report the fraud to the dating platform and the appropriate US agencies as well.

Where do I report a dating-app scam?

For readers in the United States, use the platform’s report process and the relevant federal channels. If the scam involved threats or extortion, include that in your report; if you face immediate physical danger, contact local emergency services.

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  • Dating service: Report the account through the app or website where the conversation began. The FBI’s IC3 guidance also advises contacting the originating website.
  • FTC: Submit a fraud report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
  • FBI IC3: Report internet-enabled criminal activity at ic3.gov. The FBI also describes reporting to a local field office.

These are US reporting routes; readers in other countries should use their own consumer-protection and police channels. An agency report is not a promise of reimbursement.

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What if I shared my password or photos?

If you shared a password, code, financial details, or device access

Use a device you trust to change the affected account password and any other password you reused. Turn on two-factor authentication where it is available. Review account activity and financial transactions for unfamiliar logins, changes, or charges, and contact the relevant provider if anything looks suspicious. Never share a login or one-time code with the person who contacted you.

If the person accessed your computer or phone, the FTC advises updating security software and scanning the device. If you suspect malware and cannot remove it yourself, get help from a company you know and trust or a knowledgeable person. Do not use a cleanup link or service recommended by the suspected scammer.

A hardware security key that supports FIDO2 can be an optional way to add account authentication if your accounts support it. It is not needed to report the scam, recover money, or remove malware; start with password changes and the security options your accounts already provide.

If you shared intimate photos or are being threatened

Do not send more images, money, or personal information in response to pressure. Preserve messages and account details when safe, report the account to the platform, and report online threats or extortion through the appropriate US channels above. If you are in immediate physical danger, contact local emergency services. The cited guidance does not establish a guaranteed takedown or recovery process for intimate images, so avoid anyone who promises a sure result in exchange for payment.

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What warning signs may point to a dating-app scam?

A warning sign is not proof by itself. The FTC and FBI describe patterns that can become more concerning when combined, especially when a person builds trust and then asks for money or sensitive information.

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  • They quickly try to move the conversation away from the dating service.
  • They claim distance, travel, work, or another reason prevents an in-person meeting, often while making repeated excuses.
  • After developing a relationship, they ask for money for an emergency or another purported need, or urge you to invest in cryptocurrency or stocks.
  • They try to separate you from friends and family, pressure you for inappropriate photos or financial information, or tell inconsistent stories.
  • They send a supposed “free” dating-safety verification link that asks for personal and card details. The FBI has warned that a fake verification scheme can lead to recurring subscription charges; see its 2024 IC3 alert.

Someone moving a chat or being unable to meet does not alone establish fraud. Treat a request for money, card details, login codes, or intimate material as a reason to pause and verify independently.

How to respond to promises of recovery

Be wary of unsolicited callers, messages, or online services promising guaranteed recovery of your money or offering to retrieve it for an upfront fee. Do not give them passwords, verification codes, remote access to your device, or additional payment. Verify any contact independently through the official website or phone number of the institution involved. A person who already took money may also contact you again under a new identity.

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