Is the kind person I met online, who now needs money, a scam?

Almost always. Someone you've never met in person who asks for money, gift cards or crypto is running a scam.

Don't send any money. Talk to someone you trust before you reply.

Seen in OhioLast checked November 2026

Watch it happen

1 of 6

Tap through it. Each trick gets named as it happens.

+1 (614) 555-0127Text message, a made-up example

Hi Carol, it's Jen. Are we still on for garden club Thursday?
A "wrong number" text is one of the most common ways these start.
Tap next to keep going.

What to do

1Don't send money, gift cards or crypto to anyone you haven't met in person. Not one more fee.
2Search their photo with a picture search, and search their name with the word scam.
3Talk to someone you trust. If money already went out, call your bank now and keep every message.

What to say: "I don't send money to anyone I haven't met in person." Then stop replying.

The real place to check: Your bank, on the number on your card, and someone you trust.

Practice

Scam or real?

Practice is what helps most. Take a look and pick one.

MichaelChat message, a made-up example

Sweetheart, I'm stuck at the airport in Lagos. They won't let me board without paying a $900 fee. Can you send it in Apple gift cards? I'll pay you back the moment I land. Please don't tell anyone, I'm embarrassed.

Already tapped, paid or told them something? It happens to careful people. Here's what to do now.

Want to know more?

How it works, start to finish

It starts small. A "wrong number" text, a friend request, a message in a dating app, a game or a Facebook group. The person is warm, kind and easy to talk to.

Then it's good morning and good night every day, sometimes prayers, for weeks or months. They always have a reason they can't meet: a job overseas, the military, an oil rig, a ship. Video calls are short or blurry, or never happen. Today their photos, voice and even video can be made with AI.

Then money comes up. An emergency, a plane ticket, a package stuck at customs. Or they never ask at all. They show you their profits on a crypto app and offer to teach you. The app shows big gains, until you try to take money out and there's a "tax" or a "fee".

Some ask you to receive money and send it on. That moves other people's stolen money through your account, and it can get your account frozen.

These are organized groups, many overseas, working from scripts. Smart, loving people get pulled in every day. The feelings were real, even though the person wasn't.

All the signs

You met online or by a "wrong number" text, and you've never met in person.
There's always a reason they can't meet or do a clear video call.
They say "I love you" fast, and want to move to WhatsApp or text right away.
A far-away job: military, oil rig, ship, a doctor or engineer overseas.
They talk about crypto or trading, or show you their profits.
They ask for money, gift cards, crypto, or for you to receive and send money.
They ask you to keep it from your family or your bank.

The four steps almost every scam follows

Step 1
A scary alarm
Your account, your benefits, your record or your computer is in trouble.
Step 2
Hurry
Act now, stay on the line, don't tell anyone.
Step 3
Only one fix
Theirs. Do exactly what they say.
Step 4
Money that can't come back
Gift cards, a Bitcoin machine, a wire, or cash handed to a courier.

By the numbers

People 60 and older lost $584 million to romance scams in 2025, up from $389 million the year before.
That's about 63 cents of every dollar lost to romance scams.
In one FBI effort, 78% of people in crypto "investment" scams didn't know they were being scammed.

Where to report it