Guide
Dating Scams UK: How to Spot a Fake in Two Minutes
Six scams to know on sight, a profile check you can run on your phone, and what to do if money has gone.
The usual tells of a dating scam are a bond that forms very fast, excuses to dodge a video call, a push to leave the site and any request for money. Run a reverse image search, ask for a short video call on an app you choose, and send no money until you have met in person. Already paid? Ring your bank first.
Money already gone? Jump to what to do next.
Six dating scams to know on sight
City of London Police says dating fraud stays closely linked to social media and dating platforms. Here are six shapes to know on sight.
- Catfish profile
- Someone pretending to be someone else to win your trust. Police Scotland says stolen images often turn up on fake profiles, and City of London Police has noted more AI-generated images and messages.
- Scripted bot
- A script, not a person. The FBI’s 2025 internet crime report (US) says scammers pair fake profiles with scripts from AI chat tools to make their messages more believable. The Online Dating and Discovery Association (ODDA), the industry’s trade body, warns about constant messages at odd hours that always end in an excuse not to meet.
- Money request
- Cash, vouchers or crypto before you have met, or a request to pass money through your own account. ODDA warns that forwarding money for someone online may involve criminality.
- Fake emergency
- A sick relative, a stranded trip, a fee to get out of trouble. City of London Police says money requests are often justified by invented emergencies, investment opportunities or plans to meet.
- Investment pitch
- A tip, a trading app or a crypto “opportunity” from someone you have just met. City of London Police says dating fraud is often paired with fake investment schemes.
- Intimate-image blackmail
- You share a picture, then get a threat to pass it on unless you pay. Police Scotland says that is a crime even if you shared the picture willingly, and England and Wales have had an Online Safety Act offence for it since 31 January 2024. See our sextortion guide.
Your two minutes
How to check a profile in two minutes
Run a reverse image search
Upload the main photo to Google’s image search or TinEye, both named by Report Fraud, the fraud reporting service for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Chrome, right-click the photo and choose Search with Google Lens. A face under another name is your answer. A clean result is a first step, not a clearance.
Ask for a video call
Suggest five minutes on camera, on an app you choose, at a time that suits you. Which? says an entirely online connection that never reaches a video call should raise a red flag. One broken camera happens. A new excuse every time is a pattern.
Hold the story up to the profile
Do the age, job and town add up? Age UK lists chat that turns personal very fast, stories that do not add up and requests for money among its signs. Search any phrase they keep repeating, plus “dating scam”.
Notice where they want to talk
A push to WhatsApp or email is the moment to slow down. ODDA says moving the chat off the service lets a scammer pitch for money without any trace. Once the checks pass, meeting a hookup safely covers the night itself.
On this site
Tools that catch a scammer early
| Tool | What it does | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| ID check badge | Optional. Puts a verified badge on a profile. | Look for it. No badge only means they have not verified. |
| Video check | A live call with a moderator that confirms identity without documents. | Take it yourself if you would rather not upload an ID. |
| Reputation score | A score on every member that moves with behaviour and feedback. | Read it before you reply. Leave feedback after a bad experience. |
| Off-site contact alerts | Flags a chat being steered towards another app, WhatsApp for example. | Your cue to slow down and ask why. |
| Behaviour monitoring | Software that looks for patterns suggesting scammers, bots or harmful accounts. | Nothing to do. It runs in the background. |
| Reporting | Report a profile or a piece of content without leaving the site. | Report any sign above, then block. |
| Blocking | Stops a member contacting you or seeing you, straight away. | Use it the moment a chat turns to money. |
The Terms forbid soliciting money from members for services. The safety page and features page list the rest. Still choosing where to look? Start with is there a sex contacts site in the UK?
The numbers
Why two minutes of checking pays
- 10,784reports of dating fraud, 2025
- 29%more reports than in 2024
- 9,500pounds lost per victim, on average
- 55 to 74the age group that lost the most
City of London Police, which hosts Report Fraud, published those figures on 4 May 2026 and added that losses across the UK topped 102 million pounds in 2025. It thinks more people reporting may explain part of the rise, and says anyone can be caught.
What the Online Safety Act asks of platforms
Ofcom, the UK regulator, said in guidance for dating services on 18 May 2026 that the Online Safety Act puts legal responsibility for UK users’ safety on the businesses that run online services. The guidance lists basic measures: easy-to-find terms, a way to report illegal material and the ability to take it down quickly. Ofcom does not investigate individual complaints, so report to the service first.
If it has happened
If you have already paid
Ring your bank now, on the number printed on your card or on the bank’s own website, never one the scammer gave you. Stop all contact, send nothing more and keep the messages and payment details.
Then report it. Report Fraud takes reports from England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and it replaced Action Fraud in December 2025. In Scotland, report fraud to Police Scotland. Tell the site where you met them as well.
Expect a second approach: someone may offer to recover your money for a fee, and genuine agencies never charge one. You are not to blame, and Victim Support in England and Wales, Victim Support Scotland and Victim Support NI offer confidential help.
General information, checked on 2 November 2026, not personal advice. If anyone is in immediate danger, call 999. Your bank, Report Fraud or, in Scotland, Police Scotland can advise on your own case.
Questions about dating scams
How do I spot a fake profile?
Run the main photo through a reverse image search, ask for a short video call on an app you choose and check the story against the profile. A bond that forms very fast, an excuse never to meet and a push to leave the site are the usual tells. Any one means slow down; two together means stop.
What is catfishing?
Catfishing is pretending on social media to be someone different, to trick or attract another person, as the Cambridge Dictionary puts it. The meaning dates from a 2010 documentary called Catfish. A UK government minister told the Lords on 30 October 2024 that it covers offences from scamming to blackmail.
What should I do if someone asks me for money?
Say “I don’t send money to anyone I haven’t met”, then stop replying and report the profile. City of London Police says not to send money, crypto or gift cards until you have met the person face to face. Report any request for money: the Terms forbid soliciting money from members for services, impersonating anyone and any unlawful use.
Can I get my money back?
Sometimes. The UK government’s Stop Think Fraud campaign says it depends on how you paid: banks try to recover bank transfers and often reimburse them, while cash and vouchers are very hard to trace. Ring your bank at once. If your bank turns down a refund you believe you are owed, complain to it in writing first, then to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
How do I report a scam on the site?
Screenshot the chat, report the profile from inside the site, then block them. Support is there by chat and messaging at any hour. If you lost money or details, also report to Report Fraud, the fraud reporting service for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, or to Police Scotland if you are in Scotland.
Flirt with the tools on your side
Read reputation scores, use report and block, and keep your early chats on the site.
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