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Anti-Scam FAQ: What Is A Relationship Scam

Answer:

In the broadest sense, a Relationship Scam is one when there is a relationship between the scammer (or group of scammers) and the victim. This means the scammer(s) are communicating directly with the victim, as opposed to a computer luring or trapping the victim to exploit them.

A Relationship Scam does not depend on just one type of medium or communication type, and in fact, can include email, phone, video & text chat, text messages, and online platforms – it can even be face to face.

Examples of Relationship Scams include:

Romance Scams
Lotto Scams
Tax, Social Security, or other Phone or Email Scams
Sextortion or other forms of Blackmail Scams
Recommended Investment Scams
Grandparent Scams
Gift card Scams
Gambian-style Marriage Scams (these start as a romance scam and lead to a face to face scam)
Charity Scams
Police or Investigative Scams
Jury Duty Scams
Other Financial Fraud & Scams
and more …

In all cases, a Relationship Scam will have the victim talking to the scammer(s) directly at some point by whatever means.

Phishing scams and also lead to a Relationship Scam if it is used to connect directly with the victim, instead of just stealing credentials (logging and passwords).