MEPX
Chapter 5 of 10All chapters
  1. 1The anatomy of a scam
  2. 2How pressure is manufactured
  3. 3Impersonation scams
  4. 4Buying and selling
  5. 5Romance and friendship scams
  6. 6Investment and money scams
  7. 7Texts, emails and calls
  8. 8What AI changed
  9. 9Protecting other people
  10. 10If it happens

Chapter 5 of 10

Romance and friendship scams

Patient and expensive.

The pattern

Fast intensity, a life story that explains why they cannot meet, then a crisis that needs money. It may run for months before the first request.

  • Refusal to video call is the clearest signal.
  • A reverse image search on the photographs often ends it in a minute.

Crypto romance

A friendly contact introduces a trading platform where your balance grows beautifully, until withdrawal requires a fee, then a tax, then another fee. The platform is a display, not an exchange.