How to spot a romance scam
Patient, expensive, and devastating. Romance scams are the slowest-burning fraud and the hardest to detect by eye.
What it is
A romance scam, sometimes called pig butchering, is a long-game fraud where the scammer builds an emotional relationship with the victim over weeks or months before introducing a money-making opportunity, usually a fake crypto investment. The victim invests, sees fake gains, invests more, and eventually loses everything. AU losses are routinely in the tens of thousands per victim.
The cover stories
The scammer is almost never who they claim to be. Common covers: oil-rig worker (out of contact for long stretches), military deployed overseas, doctor working in a remote country, crypto trader who 'has a system'. The profile photos are stolen from real people; reverse-image search the photos before responding.
The progression
Stage 1: friendly chat, lots of compliments, gentle interest. Stage 2: brings up a 'great investment opportunity' a relative or colleague taught them. Stage 3: helps the victim set up an account on a fake exchange or 'trading platform'. Stage 4: small early gains build confidence. Stage 5: the victim invests larger amounts. Stage 6: when the victim tries to withdraw, the platform demands fees, taxes, or 'unlock payments'. Stage 7: silence.
What to do
If a stranger DMs you about an investment opportunity, that is the scam. Real traders do not cold-DM strangers. If you have already invested, stop. Talk to a friend or family member. Report to AVA at /report so others can be warned.
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This page is a quick spotter card. The full plain-English lesson lives in the AVA Academy. Read the Romance Scam lesson → or browse all 9 lessons.