You Think You’re Falling in Love — The Person on the Other End Wants Your Savings

Romance scammers often build emotional relationships over weeks or months before requesting money for emergencies or fake investments. The FTC and FBI warn that repeated excuses for not meeting, secrecy, and requests for cryptocurrency or wire transfers are major red flags. Marijus Auruskevicius/Shutterstock

It starts with a friendly message from someone who seems genuinely interested in getting to know you. Before long, you’re exchanging good morning texts, sharing stories about your family, and talking about a future together. After months of conversations, you might even believe you’ve finally found someone special.

Then comes the request for money.