It often starts gently: daily chats on a dating app or social network, travel photos, plans that never quite land in the same city. Weeks later the story shifts. They are “managing a project overseas,” investors are ready, but they need a local account, a company registration in your name, or money moved “temporarily” for customs, partners or travel. The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has described this exact grooming path — confidence or romance first, then requests that turn victims into money movers without calling it that.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is equally plain: never send money, crypto, gift cards or wires to someone you have not met in person, and treat investment “favours” from online lovers as a hard no. Excuses about oil rigs, deployments or blocked travel are common stalling tactics. Profile photos that reverse-search to other names are another tell. Europol’s money-muling awareness material shows why the “business” step matters: once funds pass through your account, you may be helping move proceeds of fraud even if you believed the story.
Cut contact when money or account access appears. Tell the platform. Reverse-search pictures before you escalate trust. If you already opened an account or moved funds for them, stop immediately, tell your bank, and keep the chats. Do not hire a second stranger who claims they can unwind the “deal” for a fee.
If this sounds familiar, use Get help. For the longer romance-to-trading variant, see Pig-butchering: romance first, crypto deposits later. Paid clawbacks after a romance ask sit under Fake recovery.
This article is for general information only. It is not legal or financial advice. Details change. If you have lost money, contact your bank or card issuer and use the routes on the help pages.