SCARS Institute

IS IT A SCAM?

A SCARS Institute Scam Detection Diagnostic: Romance Scams · 25 Yes-or-No Questions

Your Privacy Is Protected

We never see your identity

Your answers are processed in your browser. Only you see any identifying information about you. Nothing about you, or about the person you are assessing, is stored.

De-identified data supports research

With your permission and your identity removed, your de-identified answers are sent to the SCARS Institute for scientific research only. Data is never shared with third parties.

Save your work and return later

You have the option to save your work and return later as you wish. Each finished section is saved to the SCARS Institute under a resume code, without your identity. Your resume code is the only way to bring your answers back, so keep it somewhere safe and treat it like a password.

The SCARS Institute provides this diagnostic to help you find out whether an online or long-distance romantic relationship shows the recognized patterns of romance fraud: impersonation, emotional manipulation, financial exploitation, identity theft, or organized crime. You can save your result to share with a trusted person, your bank, or law enforcement.

Start or Continue

Twenty-five Yes-or-No questions in five sections. Most people finish in ten minutes. If you need to stop, your answers are saved at the end of each section under a resume code.

Start the diagnostic

You will receive a resume code so you can stop and return on any device.

Enter a resume code

Pick up where you stopped, or bring back a finished result from the past 90 days.

Before You Begin

This diagnostic checks whether an online or long-distance romantic relationship contains the recognized patterns of romance fraud. It looks at the complete pattern, not one odd behavior. A real person travels, has emergencies, and loses a connection now and then. A scammer combines emotional influence, unverifiable claims, evasion, money requests, secrecy, and resistance to independent checking.

Answer alone. Do not let the person you are assessing supply explanations, evidence, or help while you answer. That person has every reason to steer your answers.

  1. Answer Yes when the behavior has happened, even if the person gave a believable explanation.
  2. Answer No only when the behavior has not happened, or when you verified the facts yourself through a source the person does not control.

The result is a Scam Risk Index from 0% to 100%. It measures the concentration and severity of recognized scam indicators. It does not measure how sincere the person sounds or how strong the relationship feels.

Please Note. This diagnostic was developed by the SCARS Institute from its work with tens of thousands of romance scam victims. It is a crime-detection screening tool, not a psychological assessment and not legal advice. A high score identifies a probable crime in progress. A low score does not prove that anyone is safe.
Answer alone. Do not show these questions to the person you are assessing, and do not ask them for explanations while you answer. Your answers are saved in this browser as you go and to the SCARS Institute at the end of each section.
Why this matters
Answer Yes or No to continue
Save this result before leaving the page. Use the "Save My Results" button below. Your resume code also brings this result back for 90 days.
v1

2 Comments

  1. Is It A Scam? Romance Scam Diagnostic - v1 6638109a7699d37307eb61174c1fb9a3d5f185eb01f659879573aec369da80bf?s=54&d=blank&r=g
    Carole Frey September 29, 2026 at 3:15 pm - Reply

    I was blinded by such clever manipulation

    • Is It A Scam? Romance Scam Diagnostic - v1 e462102f926f1436d3b2553e5a36a5ce7f308f48bfac5f869487393820218708?s=54&d=blank&r=g
      SCARS Institute Editorial Team September 29, 2026 at 5:37 pm - Reply

      Carole, as you move forward with your recovery, you will learn how this all works. It was not your fault. Professional, expert criminals victimized you.

Leave A Comment

Your comments help the SCARS Institute better understand all scam victim/survivor experiences and improve our services and processes. Thank you

Thank you for your comment. You may receive an email to follow up. We never share your data with marketers.