Romance scam
A story
Marc, 49, divorced two years ago, joins a dating app. There he meets “Sofia”, a 44-year-old architect in Toronto. Her photos are lovely without looking unreal. She's funny, attentive, curious about his life. After four days she suggests moving to WhatsApp, “because the app is full of nosy people”.
Weeks go by. Sofia sends voice messages, “good morning my love”, photos of her lunch. Video calls? There's always a reason: the camera is broken, it's too noisy at the construction site, she's travelling. One evening she confides that she struggles to invest alone and her family doesn't understand her. She mentions a “discreet” crypto platform that helped her save for their future together.
Marc invests $3,000, then $12,000. When he tries to withdraw, she suddenly has a “medical emergency” and asks for his help. She also tells him not to say anything to his friends: “They won't understand.” Marc feels alone for the first time in a long while.
A fictional story inspired by real cases. Names and details are invented.
How it works
Profile
Contact happens on a dating app or social media, often with stolen photos.
Switching apps
The person quickly suggests continuing on WhatsApp, Telegram or another messenger.
Quick attachment
Declarations of affection within days and daily contact.
No meeting
The person avoids video calls and meetings. A video call isn't enough to prove identity: images can be altered with AI.
Request for money
They suggest a crypto investment or describe an emergency (health, customs, travel) and ask for financial help. They may also ask you not to tell your family.
The warning signs
- Very fast declarations of love
- Refusal of video calls or meetings
- Someone who says they live near you but work abroad
- Conversation that leads to crypto or a financial emergency
- A request to keep the relationship secret
- A request to open a crypto account or receive money for someone
If it happens to you
- Stop contact.
- Run a reverse image search on the photos.
- Talk to someone you trust.
- Keep the conversations and transaction summaries.
- Report to police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. Free support: CAVAC, 1-866-532-2822.
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