Scam awareness
Online Dating Scam Warning Signs in India
Romance scams do not rely on technology; they rely on patience and pressure. Once you know the shape of them, they become easy to spot early.
18+ only
Warning signs
Patterns worth acting on
One of these is a reason to slow down. Two or more is a reason to stop.
- • Any request for money — a transfer, a UPI request, gift cards, crypto, a 'customs charge' on a gift, a sudden medical emergency or a family crisis.
- • Investment, crypto or 'task earning' advice, especially where small early withdrawals succeed before a larger deposit is requested.
- • Pressure to move quickly to another messaging app before you have had a real conversation.
- • Identity details that shift: a changing job, city, age or family story, or answers that avoid ordinary questions.
- • Constant unavailability for a live video call, paired with intense written affection.
- • Urgency and emotional escalation — declarations of love within days, then a crisis that only you can solve.
- • Links to unfamiliar sites, login pages or apps, and requests to 'verify' yourself somewhere off-platform.
- • Requests for OTPs, Aadhaar or PAN numbers, bank details, card numbers or copies of documents.
Why it works
The pattern behind the pressure
Understanding the sequence makes it much harder to fall into.
A romance scam is usually a long, patient build: attentive conversation, quick emotional intimacy, a strong reason why meeting is impossible right now, and then a first small request. The first request is deliberately modest so that refusing feels unkind. Once it is met, the amounts grow.
Photos and profiles can be stolen wholesale, which is why a polished profile is not evidence of anything. A verification indicator raises the cost of running a fake profile but does not guarantee behaviour — see what profile verification means.
What to do
If something looks suspicious
Act on the pattern, not on the apology that follows it.
- • Stop sharing sensitive information immediately, and send no money under any circumstances.
- • Keep screenshots of the conversation and the profile before you block — they help a report.
- • Block the member, then file a report so our moderation team can review the account.
- • Do not confront or negotiate. Scammers rely on continued engagement.
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