Relationship Investment Scams

Protect Yourself and Your Money

Relationship investment scams can begin so innocently. You might meet a stranger through social media, dating app, investment-related group chat, or even through a wrong number text message Before you know it, you’re exchanging texts every day.

 You might be “love bombed” with frequent messages, calls, or develop a non-romantic relationship. But you never see each other in person. Your new friend is rich, attractive, travels, and likes everything you do. How did they become so wealthy? By investing in cryptocurrency, gold, or foreign currency they’ll show you how to do it too.

Once you invest on their recommended app, you will see charts that indicate your investment is earning huge returns. And when you want to withdraw your money, you can’t, and you can’t reach your new online “friend” — your money is gone. Your money was never invested. The app and the huge returns you saw were all fake. These devastating scams, called relationship investment scams or romance scams, and often referred to as pig butchering by the perpetrators, leave investors brokenhearted and bankrupt. Investors are losing billions of dollars to the scams globally each year.

These Scams Can Impact Anyone

Relationship investment scams can happen to anyone. Scammers target a wide range of people of various ages, education levels, and professions.

Scammers try to lure individuals into their scams with promises of friendship or love. People who live alone or spend a lot of time on social media or in discussion groups tend to be more vulnerable to fraud. Be on high alert if you are widowed, divorced, or living away from family and friends. And become a fraud fighter by sharing this information with anyone you know who is in the same stage of life. They are prime targets for scammers.

These scams work on all types of people because they appeal to unmet needs or emotions, like financial stress, future hopes and dreams, excitement, or fear