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To report a romance scam in the United States, stop communicating with the suspected scammer, preserve messages and financial records, contact the institution that handled any payment, and file reports with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), local law enforcement, the relevant platform, and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) as appropriate. No single report replaces the others. Acting quickly can help investigators connect cases and may give a financial institution more time to respond, although no agency or bank can guarantee recovery.
This guide explains what to do first, how to organize evidence without altering it, where each report belongs, and what to expect after filing.
What should I do immediately after recognizing a romance scam?
First, end contact and preserve what you already have. The FBI advises victims to stop all communication, while the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio advises saving correspondence and financial records rather than deleting or erasing them.
- Stop replying. Do not warn the person that you are reporting them, negotiate for a refund, or send another payment to “unlock” a withdrawal. Further contact can expose you to more demands and may change or destroy useful records.
- Do not delete accounts or messages yet. Keep the conversation, profile information, usernames, email addresses, phone numbers, payment instructions, and attachments available until investigators or the platform tell you how they want them submitted.
- Contact the bank or payment provider promptly if money moved. Use the institution’s official fraud number or secure channel. Explain that the transfer may be connected to a romance scam, give the date and amount, and ask what recovery, recall, or account-security steps are available. Recovery is not guaranteed.
- Secure your accounts. Change reused passwords, enable multifactor authentication where available, and review account activity. If the scammer knew security answers or had access to an email account, tell the relevant provider when you report the incident.
- If you installed software at the scammer’s request, disconnect safely. An FBI San Antonio advisory says to turn off Wi-Fi or disconnect the computer from the internet, shut down the computer, and report the matter to law enforcement. That instruction is specific to the software-download situation; do not assume every device problem has the same remedy.
Preserving evidence does not mean continuing the relationship. You can stop contact while retaining the records investigators may need.
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Which reporting route should I use?
Use several channels because each serves a different purpose. IC3 collects internet-enabled crime complaints for investigative and intelligence use; local police and an FBI field office provide law-enforcement contact; a bank or payment provider handles the transaction response; and the FTC and platform address consumer fraud and suspicious accounts.
| Channel | What it does | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) | Receives reports of internet-enabled crime, including romance fraud, for investigative and intelligence purposes. | As soon as possible after identifying the scam, especially when online messages, payments, or cryptocurrency are involved. |
| Local police or an FBI field office | Provides a direct law-enforcement contact and can explain local procedures. | When you need an in-person report, have an immediate safety concern, or want to provide records directly to investigators. |
| Your bank, card issuer, wire service, payment app, or cryptocurrency-related institution | Reviews the transaction and may offer recall, freeze, or account-protection steps under its procedures. | Immediately after a transfer or unauthorized account activity. Do not wait for an IC3 confirmation. |
| FTC ReportFraud.ftc.gov | Collects consumer-fraud reports and publishes enforcement and prevention information. | When the incident involves deceptive conduct or financial loss, in addition to law-enforcement reporting. |
| The dating or social-media platform | Can review and act on a suspicious profile, message, or account under its rules. | After preserving the relevant details. A platform report does not replace an IC3, police, FTC, or financial-institution report. |
How do I file an IC3 romance-scam report?
Submit the complaint through the official IC3 website as soon as you can. The FBI says prompt reporting supports investigative work and can be important when lost funds might still be recoverable.
- Gather your notes before opening the form. Have dates, names used by the person, profile and platform details, contact methods, payment dates and amounts, and any account or wallet information ready.
- Describe the relationship chronologically. State where contact began, how the person built trust, when money or investment requests started, what reasons were given, and what happened after you questioned or delayed payment.
- Identify the financial trail. List each transaction separately, including the institution, payment method, date, amount, destination details, and whether you contacted the institution. Include attempted payments that did not complete if they help explain the scheme.
- Explain the digital evidence you retained. Note the platforms used, profile URLs or handles, email addresses, phone numbers, and the types of files you can provide. Do not alter the original messages to make the narrative neater.
- Save the submission information. Keep the confirmation or complaint number, the date submitted, and a copy of what you entered. If IC3 or another agency later asks for files, follow its instructions rather than emailing sensitive material to an unverified address.
IC3 is a reporting channel, not a promise of an investigation, a personal case manager, or reimbursement. Reports can still be valuable when several victims describe the same identities, wallets, accounts, or scripts.
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Should I contact local police or an FBI field office?
Yes, particularly when you need local assistance, have lost a significant amount, face threats or stalking, or want to ask how physical or digital records should be delivered. The DOJ advisory identifies IC3 and local law enforcement as reporting options, and the FBI’s public notice also points to local FBI field offices.
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Call the non-emergency number unless there is an immediate danger. Bring a concise summary and copies of transaction records, but keep the original files and devices unchanged. Ask the officer or agent how they want electronic evidence transferred; the official sources do not establish one universal file format or public chain-of-custody procedure.
If the scammer is threatening you, impersonating you, or has access to an account, say so at the beginning of the conversation. Emergency threats should be handled through 911 or the emergency service in your location.
What should I tell my bank or payment provider?
Call immediately, even if the payment appears authorized. Romance scams often persuade a victim to approve a transfer, but the institution may still have time-sensitive procedures for recalls, freezes, fraud review, or securing the account.
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Do not pay a person who claims to be a recovery agent and asks for an upfront fee, tax, or “verification” transfer. The available data’s official sources do not promise that any particular payment method can be reversed, so treat recovery as uncertain and continue with the reports even when the bank cannot immediately return funds.
How do I report the profile and the fraud to the platform and FTC?
After saving the account details and messages, use the platform’s built-in report function for the profile and the specific messages. Describe the behavior accurately and include the platform’s username or profile link. Avoid publicly posting the person’s alleged identity or your private records; public accusations can expose you to further contact and can complicate privacy.
The FTC recommends reporting suspicious profiles or messages to the dating or social-media service and reporting the fraud at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Include the same core facts you gave IC3, but tailor the description to consumer fraud. A platform action can remove an account on that service; it does not investigate every payment or notify all other platforms where the person may operate.
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FTC data published in 2023 found that more than 60% of reported romance-scam losses in 2022 were associated with cryptocurrency and bank wires together, and 24% of people who reported losing money said gift cards were used. These are historical figures about reports made in 2022, not a current estimate of every romance scam. The FTC’s warning is direct: “Nobody legit will ever ask you to help—or insist that you invest—by sending cryptocurrency, giving the numbers on a gift card, or by wiring money.”
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What evidence should I preserve for investigators?
Preserve the original material in the form in which you received it whenever possible. The official guidance supports saving correspondence and financial records but does not impose a single technical evidence standard.
Communication records
- Keep messages from dating sites, social networks, email, text, and messaging apps.
- Retain attachments, voice messages, photographs, videos, and files the person sent.
- Record the account name, profile link, email address, phone number, and platform. If a profile changes, note the date you observed it.
- Do not edit, crop, annotate, or rewrite the original conversation. If you make a working copy for your own notes, label it as a copy and keep the original.
Financial records
- Save bank, card, wire, payment-app, gift-card, and cryptocurrency transaction records.
- Include receipts, confirmation emails, wallet addresses, account numbers, transfer IDs, and the institution’s fraud case number where available.
- Keep records of attempted or refused payments when they show how the request developed.
Device and account information
- Note the devices and accounts used to communicate, and whether the scammer requested remote access or software installation.
- Do not reset or discard a device before asking law enforcement or a qualified security professional whether it may contain relevant information.
- If you disconnected a device after installing requested software, write down what happened and when before making other changes.
Screenshots can help explain an incident, but the sources do not say that screenshots alone satisfy an investigator’s needs. Keep message exports, account records, and transaction documents when available, and ask the receiving agency how it wants files submitted.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How can I organize a clear timeline?
A timeline is a practical organizational aid, not a formal investigative requirement. It helps you explain a long relationship without guessing at details.
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- Date and time zone: Use the timestamp shown by the service and identify the time zone if known.
- Platform or contact method: For example, a dating site, email, text, or phone call.
- What happened: A factual summary, such as a request for a wire transfer or a claim about an emergency.
- Evidence reference: The message, receipt, profile, or account record that supports the entry.
- Money or access involved: Amount, payment method, destination, password request, or software installation.
Separate what you know from what you inferred. Use “the message stated” rather than presenting an unverified identity or location as fact. Mark uncertain dates as approximate and explain why.
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What mistakes can damage a report?
- Deleting the conversation before saving it: Investigators may need context that a single screenshot omits.
- Continuing to negotiate: More replies can create additional losses and give the scammer time to move funds or alter accounts.
- Waiting to contact the financial institution: Some responses are time-sensitive, even though no recovery is guaranteed.
- Reporting only to the platform: Account removal does not substitute for a financial-fraud or law-enforcement report.
- Sending evidence to an unverified “investigator”: Use official agency websites and phone numbers, and beware of second-stage recovery scams.
- Publicly sharing private records: Redact sensitive information when making personal copies and submit full records only through instructions from a verified recipient.
What happens after I report?
Keep every confirmation number and a dated log of calls, emails, and follow-ups. Agencies may use reports for intelligence, link cases, or request additional records; the sources do not promise a status update, prosecution, or restitution. A platform may remove or restrict an account without telling you what action it took.
Continue monitoring bank and online accounts for unauthorized activity. If the scammer contacts you from a new profile, preserve the new message, report the account through the platform, and add the details to your existing reports rather than restarting the conversation.
Quick checklist before you submit
- Contact has stopped.
- Original messages, profile details, and attachments are preserved.
- Financial records and transaction references are saved.
- The bank or payment provider has been contacted if money moved.
- An IC3 report is prepared or submitted.
- Local police or an FBI field office has been contacted when appropriate.
- The profile and messages are reported to the platform.
- A consumer-fraud report is filed with the FTC.
- A factual timeline and evidence list are ready.
- You know how each agency wants files delivered.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I report a romance scam if I never sent money?
Yes. IC3, the FTC, the platform, and local law enforcement can still receive information about attempted fraud, suspicious accounts, and requests for payment. Preserve the messages and profile details even when no transaction occurred.
Should I delete my dating profile after reporting the scam?
Do not delete it before preserving the profile, messages, and account details or asking investigators how they want them retained. You can change privacy settings or stop using the service while keeping the records available.
What if the scammer used cryptocurrency or gift cards?
Save wallet addresses, transaction IDs, gift-card numbers, receipts, and communications, then contact the institution or issuer immediately. Include those details in IC3, FTC, and local reports; the payment method does not guarantee recovery.
Can an investigator require a specific evidence file format?
The cited federal guidance does not set one universal format or public chain-of-custody process. Keep originals unchanged and ask the receiving agency whether it wants exports, device access, printed records, or another submission method.
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