During this special time of year, we celebrate love. Valentine's Day is a reminder to take a moment to share messages of affection with our partners, family and friends.

At MoneyGram, we are grateful for the opportunity to help loved ones stay connected, even across great distances. 

However, it’s important to remain alert, as scammers prey on other's desire for connection during this season through romance scams.

A romance scam occurs when a person pretends to seek a romantic relationship with another person to exploit them emotionally and financially. These scams are common online, with many scammers looking for victims on dating sites, social media or through wrong-number texts.

In the US, 64,003 romance scams were reported in 2023, totaling a loss of $1.14 billion. The median loss of a romance scam victim is $2,000, the highest of any imposter scam.*

Red flags to look for when dating online

1. Avoiding video calls or meeting in person

• If someone you meet online is unwilling to communicate face-to-face, they may be impersonating someone else.

2. Giving inconsistent or unrealistic personal details

• Scammers often provide farfetched stories and false information about where they live, work and the people they know.

3. Asking for money for travel, emergencies or investments

• Fraudsters often create a false sense of urgency to get victims to quickly send money, gift cards or cryptocurrency without researching beforehand.

4. Moving communication to private messaging apps

• International, private messaging apps allow users to hide identifiable information, making scammers nearly impossible to locate.

5. Using stolen or manipulated photos

• Romance scammers frequently use photos of models, strangers or AI-generated people to attract victims. 

How to keep yourself safe from fraudsters

It's easy to get swept up in the excitement of a new love connection. Here are some tips that can help protect you from online scams:

• Research anyone you plan to get to know.
• Use video calls to help confirm someone's identity.
• Utilize reverse image search tools on photos.
• Only send money to people you know.
• Find a trusted money transfer service.
• Never give personal information to strangers.

 Ways MoneyGram protects you from romance scams

• Your receiver's name must match their identification.
  • Many agent locations will not pay out a transfer if the name on the receiver's identification does not exactly match the receiver's name on the transfer.
• Your receiver can only pick up money in the country you sent it to.
  • Romantic scammers are often dishonest about where they live. To protect you, the receiver of your money transfer must pick up the funds in the country you sent your money to. 
• You can track your money transfers online.
  • MoneyGram offers many online tools and services to help you ensure your money goes where it's supposed to go. 

We are here to help with fraud prevention guides, resources and support. To learn more about protecting yourself from fraud in the United States, visit our Consumer Protection page. 

If you think your money transfer was sent to a scammer, please call MoneyGram Customer Service in the United States at 1-800-926-9400 or complete our report fraud form online.

*https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/blog/2024/02/love-stinks-when-scammer-involved

MoneyGram Romance scams Valentine's Day