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Licensed Bonded Insured
Private Investigations Corporate Investigations Child Custody Investigations
California Private Investigator License #28192
LOS ANGELES PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR
ONLINE ROMANCE CATFISHING SCAMMERS
LOS ANGELES
CALIFORNIA ONLINE ROMANCE CATFISHING SCAMMERS INVESTIGATIONS
CALIFORNIA FEMALE PRIVATE INVESTIGATORS
KINSEY PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS
PROFESSIONAL CATFISH SCAM INVESTIGATIONS SERVICES
“Patricia” was especially vulnerable when she met a man online during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The man, who claimed to be a 66-year-old Spanish lumberjack, appeared somewhat attractive and bore an uncanny resemblance to her late husband, who had passed away only months before the pandemic began.
Like many people dealing with loss and isolation during that time, Patricia was longing for connection, conversation, and companionship.
CATFISH SCAM VICTIM: PATRICIA
For Patricia, who was in her late 60s and working to rebuild her life after the loss of her spouse, the situation created what she later described as a perfect storm.
In the video, Patricia shares her experience with Homeland Security Investigations, describing how she became the target of an online romance scam. By telling her story, she hopes to raise awareness, educate others, and help prevent future victims from falling into similar scams.
“I missed having him here to talk about what was happening in the world,” Patricia explained.
At the encouragement of friends and family, she decided to try an online dating service. When she came across one man’s profile, something about him immediately stood out. He wasn’t strikingly handsome—“no George Clooney,” she said—but his familiar features strongly reminded her of her late husband.
THE RISE OF ROMANCE SCAMMERS
Americans are more connected than ever through social media and online dating apps, making it easier to reconnect with old friends and form new relationships across the world.
Yet despite this digital connectivity, many people report feeling more isolated than ever. As individuals turn to the internet in search of meaningful relationships, scammers are increasingly taking advantage of these platforms. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), nearly 70,000 people reported romance scams in 2022.
Romance scams are a form of confidence fraud in which scammers build trust and emotional connections with their victims before using false identities or fabricated stories to ask for money. By exploiting compassion and personal trust, they manipulate victims for financial gain. These schemes continue to evolve and become increasingly sophisticated.
Romance scams can impact people of any age, but older Americans are often more vulnerable to online fraud. According to the FTC, seniors lost nearly $240 million in 2022.
These scams commonly rely on social engineering tactics designed to build trust and manipulate emotions in order to obtain money.
RED FLAG INDICATORS OF ROMANCE SCAMS
You may be dealing with a romance scammer if someone you met online begins displaying warning signs during your conversations, such as:
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Claims they live, work, or are traveling overseas, making it difficult to meet in person.
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Uses poor grammar or inconsistent English despite claiming to be fluent.
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Claims to be significantly younger than you, often to attract attention or create emotional appeal.
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Quickly expresses love or strong emotional feelings soon after meeting online.
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Provides inconsistent or changing details about their background, job, or location.
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Has little to no online presence, often with limited or newly created social media profiles.
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Sends generic or possibly AI-generated photos of themselves traveling, shopping, or dining in luxury locations.
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Requests or sends explicit photos or videos to create false intimacy or manipulate you.
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Talks about meeting or starting a life together soon, even though you have never met in person.
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Repeatedly makes excuses to avoid video calls, such as FaceTime or live chat.
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If a video call occurs, their face is not clearly visible or the call ends unusually quickly.
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Pressures you to move the conversation to private messaging apps like WhatsApp or Telegram.
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Eventually asks for money, often through cryptocurrency, gift cards, or other hard-to-trace payment methods.
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Asks if you have invested in cryptocurrency or foreign exchange trading.
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Shares links to cryptocurrency or forex trading platforms and pressures you to invest.
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Becomes defensive or aggressive when you question their intentions or ask for proof of identity.
Finally, if your bank contacts you about possible fraud or suspicious activity on your account, take the warning seriously. Financial institutions continuously monitor accounts for signs of scams, and their alert may be an indication that someone is attempting to target you or that
fraudulent activity may already be occurring.
ROMANCE SCAMS BEGIN ON SOCIAL MEDIA
The FTC's (Federal Trade Commission) newest April 2026 analysis found that nearly 60% of people who reported losing money to a romance scam in 2025 said the scam began on social media. Romance scams originating on social media accounted for $298 million in reported losses in 2025.
How common are they?
The most useful way to interpret "frequency" is through reported victimization, rather than assuming the government figures capture every victim.
For comparison, the FBI recorded 17,910 romance-scam complaints in 2024, associated with approximately $672 million in reported losses. FFBI
However, those numbers almost certainly understate the true frequency. Victims may not report because of embarrassment, shame, fear of being blamed, or because they don't realize they've been defrauded. Therefore, it would be misleading to say that "17,910 Americans were victims"—that is the number of reported complaints, not the number of actual victims.
TIPS TO AVOID LOSING MONEY TO A ROMANCE SCAMMER
Stay informed about romance scams to protect yourself, your family, and friends from financial loss and emotional exploitation. Understanding how these schemes work is crucial.
Scammers constantly search online for vulnerable and unsuspecting individuals. Stay informed, alert, and cautious to help protect yourself from becoming a target of online scams.
Be cautious of unsolicited calls and texts. Avoid answering unknown numbers, especially when the contact is unexpected. Never share personal or financial information with sources you cannot verify.
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Let suspicious or unknown calls go straight to voicemail, and don’t hesitate to hang up. Even recognized numbers can be spoofed, so if the call is truly important, the person will leave a message or send a text.
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Do not respond to unknown text messages. Instead, block or report them as spam immediately.
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If you are contacted by a reputable organization such as a healthcare provider, bank, or business, always use trusted and verified contact information found on the organization’s official website to confirm legitimate contact details and customer support.
Limit what you share online. Scammers often use details posted on social media and dating sites to learn about you, build a false sense of connection, and exploit personal situations or challenges you may be experiencing.
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Additionally, requests for inappropriate photos or sensitive financial information may later be used to extort, blackmail, or manipulate you.
Take your time and ask questions. Scammers often try to create a false sense of urgency to pressure people into making quick decisions. Never send money or share sensitive information with someone you have never met in person.
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Do your research. Review the individual’s photo and profile using online searches to see if the image, name, or other details appear elsewhere online or have been reused on other websites or profiles.
Keep the conversation on the platform. Scammers often try to move discussions away from the dating or social media site by asking you to switch to text messages or email, which helps them avoid the security and monitoring systems built into the platform’s chat features.
Trust your instincts. If someone seems too good to be true, pause and talk it over with someone you trust before making any decisions.
Never send money or cryptocurrency to someone you have only communicated with online or by phone. If a person you met on a dating site, app, or social media asks you to invest in crypto or send cryptocurrency, it is very likely a scam.
Romance scammers are highly skilled manipulators who exploit emotions and create a false sense of trust. They often operate in organized groups and rely on well-rehearsed scripts to deceive their victims. Anyone can become a target, regardless of age, education, or intelligence.
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