Someone I met online is asking for money

Investing on an app they picked counts as sending them money. So does taking in money for them and passing it on. You don’t have to decide whether they’re real to say no.

If it’s happening now

They’ve asked for money. Don’t send it. Before anything moves, show the messages to one person outside the relationship: a friend, a relative, someone at your bank.

You’re at the bank, a Bitcoin ATM, or a store buying gift cards. Stop before you pay. If a teller asks what it’s for, tell them the truth, including who asked you to send it. Being told what to say to the teller is part of the scam.

They want you to take in money or a check and send it on. Say no.

A trading app shows big gains, and now they want more or a fee to withdraw. Don’t pay. The FBI says people who pay those fees still don’t get their money out.

They’re on your computer. Hold the power button until it shuts off. Then use another device. Full steps for right now.

Someone is coming to pick up cash or gold. Don’t hand anything over. No real bank or investment company sends a courier. Call 911.

They’re threatening to share photos of you. Go to Someone is threatening to share photos of me.

What to say

• I don't send money, crypto, or gift cards to anyone I haven't met in person. That's not going to change.

• Someone I met online is asking me for money. Before I do anything, can you look at the messages with me?

• I sent money to someone I met online, and I think it was a scam. I need to report fraud and ask you to recall or reverse the payment. Can I get a case number?

• Someone I met online sent money into my account and asked me to send it on. I think it's stolen. I need to report it before anything else moves.

• Can you send me that decision in writing?

If something already left your hands

Stop replying, even when they answer with guilt, anger, or a new emergency. You don’t owe them a goodbye or a reason. Don’t block them yet; save the chat first.

You sent money

Call your bank or the payment company first, at the number on your card or in their app. Ask them to recall or reverse it, and get a case number. Steps by payment type: I paid or sent money.

Be ready for a no. Money you sent yourself (Zelle, wire, payment app, gift card, crypto, cash) may count as authorized, and it often isn’t paid back. Ask for the decision in writing. If it’s a no, file a complaint at consumerfinance.gov/complaint.

Sent a wire or crypto? File at ic3.gov at the same time as you call the bank or crypto company.

Money came into your account for them

Don’t move any of it, including back to them. Call your bank today and say someone you met online asked you to pass it on. If a check turns out fake, the bank will want all of it back. If they have your account number, the FTC says to close the account.

You sent your ID, Social Security number, a password, or a code

ID or Social Security number. Freeze your credit with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. It’s free.

Password. Change it from a device you trust, and anywhere else you used it. Then turn on a passkey or an authenticator app for sign-in. Steps: I gave out a code, password, or card number.

A code. Assume they can get into the account it belongs to. Do the same as for a password.

They had you install an app so they could help. Turn the computer off and call your bank from another device. Then: I let someone control my computer.

Then save it and report it

Screenshot the profile, the chats, their usernames and phone numbers, and every payment detail: receipts, the names they used in payment apps, and for crypto the addresses and transaction IDs on the receipt or in the app. Then block them. Save evidence without spiraling.

Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and ic3.gov, and to the app or site where you met.

Anyone who offers to get the money back for a fee is running a second scam, even if they say they’re the FBI, IC3, the FTC, or a law firm. IC3 never contacts people directly or asks for payment to recover money. Someone offers to get my money back.

If you’re 60 or older, the National Elder Fraud Hotline (833-372-8311) can help you file the reports. At any age:

What it looks like

You met Mark on Facebook in June. You've messaged on WhatsApp every day since.

WhatsApp Mark

Today 7:12 AM

Good morning beautiful

I keep getting warnings about fake profiles on here. Before we talk more I need to know you're real

I'm sending a code to your phone. Read it to me and I'll know it's you

Did it come?

A text just arrived: "G-482913 is your Google verification code." What do you do?

• Read it. It's a number, not money
• Ask what it's for, and read it to him if his answer makes sense
• Don't read it. Tell him you'll keep talking without it

Show the answers

• Wrong move Read it. It's a number, not money A verification code lets whoever has it into an account, or sets up a new one with your phone number. The FTC says anyone who asks you for yours is a scammer.
• Wrong move Ask what it's for, and read it to him if his answer makes sense He'll have an answer ready, and it will sound fine. The text already says what it is: your Google verification code.
• Best move Don't read it. Tell him you'll keep talking without it The FTC says never give a verification code to someone else. It's only for you to sign in. Someone real can hear no and keep talking to you.

Don't read a code to anyone who contacts you, whatever they say it's for.

You met Lena on Instagram in March. In May she showed you the trading app she uses, and you put in $2,000. Yesterday you took $500 out to test it.

WhatsApp Lena

Today 8:41 PM

Did it arrive?

It did. $500 in my checking this morning

See? I told you it's real. My uncle has used this platform for 6 years

Your balance is $9,412 now. The autumn member event closes Sunday. Accounts over $25,000 get the 30% bonus tier

I put in everything I have. I don't want to do this without you. Think about the house in Lisbon

The $500 really arrived. What do you do?

• Add more before Sunday. The withdrawal proves the platform pays out
• Ask to withdraw everything, and refuse any tax or fee they want first
• Add nothing, and have someone outside this look at the app

Show the answers

• Wrong move Add more before Sunday. The withdrawal proves the platform pays out The FBI says these platforms often let you take money out early, sometimes everything you put in plus the gains, so you'll trust them with more. The $9,412 is a number on a page they run.
• Okay Ask to withdraw everything, and refuse any tax or fee they want first Safe as long as you pay nothing to get it out. The FBI says a tax or fee to unlock your money is how these end, and paying it doesn't get the money out. Add nothing while you wait.
• Best move Add nothing, and have someone outside this look at the app The FBI says not to invest on the advice of someone you've only met online. That holds whether or not the app is real. If it turns out to be a scam, tell the bank or company you paid through about the $2,000, and report it at ic3.gov.

Scammers often let the first withdrawal go through. Don't invest on the say-so of someone you've only met online.

You've talked with James for four months. He says he's a contractor finishing a job overseas.

Facebook Messenger James Whitfield

Today 10:05 AM

Morning sweetheart. I need a small favor, and it has nothing to do with your money, I promise

My client in Houston owes me $8,600 for materials, but my account here can't take a US check

He'll overnight you a cashier's check. Deposit it, and once it clears send $8,300 to my supplier with Zelle. Keep $300 and take yourself to dinner on me

The supplier won't release the steel until he's paid, so tomorrow if you can

It isn't your money, and you'd wait for the check to clear. What do you do?

• Do it once your bank shows the check has cleared
• Give him your account and routing numbers so his client can send a transfer instead
• Say no. If a check or money shows up anyway, call your bank

Show the answers

• Wrong move Do it once your bank shows the check has cleared Seeing the money in your account doesn't mean the check is good. The FTC says a fake check can take weeks to be caught, and then the bank wants all of it back from you. The $8,300 you sent is likely gone.
• Wrong move Give him your account and routing numbers so his client can send a transfer instead That hands a scammer your account details, and whatever lands there may be stolen. The FTC says if a scammer has your account information, close the account.
• Best move Say no. If a check or money shows up anyway, call your bank The FTC says forwarding money for an online love interest who sends you money is always a scam. Send none of it on. It may be stolen from someone else, and you can get into legal trouble for moving it even if you didn't know.

If money for them goes through your account, you owe it back when it turns out fake or stolen. Don't take it in, and don't send it on.

What they’ll ask for

The move is the same for each: send nothing, and show it to someone outside the relationship.

“Let’s talk on WhatsApp instead.” Or Telegram, or Google Chat. The FTC says romance scammers often do this early. Plenty of real people do too. Before you switch, screenshot their profile on the app where you met.

“Let me show you how I trade.” The FBI says not to invest on the advice of someone you’ve only met online.

“I’ll pay you back the day I land.” The ticket, the surgery, the visa, the paycheck stuck on an oil rig. The FBI says some make meeting depend on you paying first.

“You just need to cover customs on the package.” “Buy gift cards and send me the numbers.” “Pay in Bitcoin.” The FTC says paying to receive a package is a scam, and nobody legitimate asks for help with gift cards, crypto, or a wire.

“I’m sending you a code so I know you’re real. Read it to me.” That code is for one of your accounts. Don’t read a code to anyone who contacts you.

“If the bank asks, say it’s for a home repair.” Don’t. The FTC says scammers tell you to lie so the bank won’t stop the transfer.

“Send me a picture of your license so I can book the flight.” The FBI says not to share sensitive information with someone you’ve only met online. Your license, Social Security number, and bank sign-in all count.

“Don’t tell your family. They won’t understand us.” Tell them. The FTC says to pay attention if they’re concerned.

“Send me something just for me.” Don’t send them. Private photos can be used to threaten you later.

Checks that help but don’t prove it

Reverse image search. On a computer, save one of their photos, go to google.com, click the camera icon (Search by image), and upload it. A match under another name is a sign of a scam. No match means little: the FBI says scammers make profile photos with AI.

Search their story. Their job plus “scammer,” as the FTC suggests: “oil rig scammer.”

A video call. The FBI says scammers use AI video to “prove” they’re real. A face on a screen doesn’t make the story true.

None of these is a reason to send money.

If you’re helping someone

Don’t start by proving the person isn’t real. Ask about the next payment: what are they being asked to send, to whom, and by when? Sit with them while they call the bank.