If you have sent money to someone you met online and cannot withdraw your funds, or if you are being asked to pay fees before a withdrawal — stop all payments now and report to the FBI at IC3.gov immediately. The sourced real cases on this page, documented by the U.S. Department of Justice, show what can happen — and why stopping now matters.
What Is a Romance Scam in 2026?
The classic romance scam — a stranger online asks you for money — still exists. But the most financially devastating form in 2026 is called pig butchering, a term borrowed from the Chinese phrase "shā zhū pán," meaning to fatten a pig before slaughter. In this scheme, there is no direct ask for money. Instead, scammers guide victims into what appear to be legitimate investment opportunities, particularly cryptocurrency platforms — showing fake profits for weeks before draining everything.
According to AARP's February 2026 research, nearly one in ten adults aged 50 and older have had an online romantic connection ask them for money or push a cryptocurrency investment. Adults aged 50 to 64 face this at more than double the rate of those over 65 — the more digitally active you are, the more you are targeted.
Most operations run from scam compounds in Southeast Asia — Cambodia, Myanmar, the Philippines — where organized criminal networks operate sophisticated, multi-person fraud factories. Many of the people running these scams are themselves victims of human trafficking, forced to scam others under threat. This context doesn't reduce the harm to victims, but it explains why operations are so large-scale and so professionally executed.
How Pig Butchering Works — The Full Timeline
Phase 1: First Contact (Week 1–2)
Contact rarely starts on a dating site. The most common entry point in 2025–26 is a "wrong number" text — a friendly message that appears to have been sent to you by mistake. "Hi! Is this David? I was supposed to meet you for coffee." When you respond that they have the wrong number, the conversation continues. The person is warm, interesting, and quickly becomes a regular part of your day.
Other entry points include LinkedIn ("I see we're in the same industry"), Facebook groups, Instagram comments, and dating apps. The profile is always attractive — professional photos, an interesting life story (often military, medical, or engineering — fields that explain why they can't meet in person).
Phase 2: Relationship Building (Weeks 2–8)
This phase can last weeks or months. The scammer contacts you daily, sometimes multiple times. They remember details from your conversations. They share what feel like genuine personal disclosures. They express growing feelings for you. This is not a quick cash grab — it's a deliberate, patient investment of time designed to create real emotional attachment.
AI tools now allow organized scam operations to manage hundreds of "relationships" simultaneously, with scripts and sentiment analysis that adapt based on how you respond. What feels like an intimate personal connection is often being run by a team.
Phase 3: The Investment Introduction (Week 6–12)
Without any direct request for money, the subject of investment comes up naturally. Your new romantic connection casually mentions how well their investments have been doing. They offer to show you. They help you create an account on what looks like a legitimate trading platform. The platform is professional, has a logo, shows real-time data, and displays growing account balances.
You invest a small amount — $500, $1,000 — and watch it appear to grow rapidly. This builds confidence. You invest more. Your "profits" grow. You're shown that you can withdraw small amounts (which actually happens — it's a setup to build trust). Eventually, you move significant sums — often retirement savings, home equity, or funds borrowed from family.
Phase 4: The Slaughter
When you try to make a large withdrawal, problems appear. There are taxes to pay first. Then a verification fee. Then a regulatory hold. Each new fee is designed to extract more money from you before you realize the platform doesn't exist. When you've paid every fee they can invent, they vanish — the relationship, the platform, and every dollar gone simultaneously.
Pig butchering platforms are professionally designed to mimic legitimate cryptocurrency exchanges. They may even use the names of real exchanges with slightly altered URLs. The "profits" you see are fabricated numbers on a screen. Before investing anything with anyone you met online, verify the platform independently at FINRA.org BrokerCheck and at the CFTC's SmartCheck tool.
Red Flags — The Warning Signs
- Contact initiated by them, unexpectedly. Romantic connections that begin with a "wrong number" text, a random DM, or an out-of-nowhere message are a primary warning sign.
- They can never meet in person or video chat clearly. There's always a reason — they're abroad, their camera is broken, their internet is poor. Real people who are genuinely interested in you find a way to video chat.
- The relationship accelerates very quickly. Expressions of love or deep connection within weeks of first contact is a scripted technique, not a sign of genuine feeling.
- They bring up investment or cryptocurrency. Any online romantic contact who introduces the topic of cryptocurrency or investment should be treated with extreme caution. This is the primary signal of pig butchering.
- They show you their "profits" to convince you. Screenshots and account dashboards are easily fabricated. Real investment results are verified independently, not shown to you by the person recommending the investment.
- The investment platform has "fees" you must pay before withdrawing. Legitimate investment platforms do not require upfront payment of taxes or fees before releasing your funds. This is the mechanism by which pig butchering operations extract final payments.
- They discourage you from telling family about the investment. "Your family won't understand this." Real financial opportunities can withstand scrutiny from people who care about you.
Why Seniors Are Disproportionately Targeted
Romance scammers target the 50+ demographic deliberately. The reasons are financial — this generation holds the majority of household wealth and retirement savings — but also psychological. People who are recently widowed, retired, or experiencing loneliness after family moves away are navigating real emotional needs that scammers are specifically trained to identify and exploit.
AARP's 2026 survey found that 55% of romance scam victims never report the crime, primarily because of shame. This silence is exactly what organized fraud operations count on — and why these scams remain so profitable. If you have been targeted, you were not naive or foolish. You were targeted by professional manipulators whose full-time job is gaining trust.
Protecting Yourself Without Giving Up on Connection
Online relationships and dating are a normal and healthy part of life for people of all ages. The goal is not to avoid them — it's to apply the same healthy skepticism you'd use in any situation where significant money is involved.
- Insist on an early video call. Real people will accommodate this. Request it within the first week. If every attempt to video chat is deflected, the relationship is not what it appears to be.
- Reverse image search their photos. Right-click any profile photo and search Google Images. Scammers use stolen photos of models, military personnel, or professionals. If the same image appears across multiple profiles or names, it's stolen.
- Never send money to someone you haven't met in person. This rule applies regardless of how long you've known them online or how genuine the relationship feels.
- Treat any investment conversation as a red flag. Any romantic contact who introduces investment opportunities — especially cryptocurrency — should be treated with immediate, strong suspicion.
- Verify independently. Before using any investment platform recommended by anyone online, verify it at FINRA.org BrokerCheck, the SEC's EDGAR database, or by calling FINRA at 844-574-3577.
- Tell a trusted person. Scammers count on secrecy. Telling a trusted friend or family member about a new online relationship is one of the most protective things you can do.
What To Do If You've Been Targeted
- Stop all contact immediately. Block the person on every platform. Do not respond to final messages pleading for one more chance or threatening consequences.
- Stop sending money. Additional payments to "unlock" funds or pay "fees" will never release your money. The platform is fake.
- Contact your bank immediately if you sent a wire transfer or bank payment. Ask about reversal options. Every hour matters.
- Report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and the FBI at IC3.gov. If cryptocurrency was involved, also report to the CFTC at cftc.gov/complaint.
- Contact the AARP Fraud Helpline at 877-908-3360 — free, confidential, and staffed by people who understand exactly what you're going through.
Frequently Asked Questions
The duration of contact is part of the design. Romance scammers invest weeks or months specifically to build trust before making financial requests — DOJ prosecution records show scammers maintaining contact for 6 months or more before the first financial ask. The emotional connection you feel is real; the person you believe you're communicating with is not.
No. The balance you see in a pig butchering platform is fabricated data on a fake website. The platform is designed to look exactly like a real exchange. The only verification that matters is whether the platform is registered at sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar. If it isn't listed, your money is at risk.
No. Escalating fees that never result in receiving your money are a documented feature of romance investment fraud. Each new fee is a separate loss. Stop all payments immediately, report to the FBI at IC3.gov, and contact your bank for any recent wire transfers.
Recovery is difficult — cryptocurrency and wire transfers are largely irreversible. However, reporting quickly to your bank for bank transfers, and to the FBI at IC3.gov, gives investigators the best chance. Law enforcement has improved blockchain tracing and has seized assets in documented cases. Report even if recovery seems unlikely — your report protects others.
Dating sites (Match.com, Zoosk, OurTime, Christian Mingle), social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn), wrong-number texts, and Words with Friends are all documented contact points in DOJ prosecution records. Scammers search specifically for profiles indicating recent widowhood, divorce, or loneliness — language about loss is a targeting signal.
Stop sending money immediately — do not pay any additional fees or taxes. Contact your bank about recent wire transfers within 24–72 hours; some may be partially reversible. Report to the FBI at IC3.gov and the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Tell a trusted family member — isolation is part of how these scams are maintained, and breaking it is protective.
Real Cases — What Actually Happened
Case 1 — North Texas, March 2024
Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Texas · March 19, 2024 · DOJ Press Release · Sentencing after jury trial — established fact
Ijeoma Okoro, 33, of Aubrey, Texas, and co-conspirators assumed fake identities and searched dating platforms including Match.com and Zoosk for targets — specifically seeking divorced or widowed individuals. Once they identified a target, they built trust through persistent contact and promises of long-term commitment, then fabricated elaborate stories requiring financial assistance: medical crises, business emergencies, legal fees. Victims believed they were in genuine romantic relationships. Okoro was indicted in September 2021, proceeded to trial in December 2023, and after seven days of trial and ten hours of jury deliberation was convicted on counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Case 2 — Rhode Island, March 2024
Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Rhode Island · March 7, 2024 · DOJ Press Release · Sentencing — established fact
Syretta Scherer, of Snellville, Georgia, was part of a conspiracy that specifically targeted widows using app-based communication platforms. Co-conspirators cultivated relationships with victims then requested money for fabricated purposes including serious medical emergencies. One documented victim — a 76-year-old widow from Rhode Island — refinanced her home, sold property she owned in Massachusetts, and withdrew funds from bank accounts, ultimately sending more than $660,000 to accounts controlled by the conspiracy. She had met her supposed romantic partner online through the Words with Friends app, where he identified himself as "General Mathew Weyer" stationed with the U.S. Army in Afghanistan. The "General" was a fictitious identity used by the conspiracy. Scherer's role was laundering the proceeds — she created a sham company, Precise Carriers, opened numerous bank accounts at different banks, and deposited victim funds in a structured way specifically designed to avoid bank currency transaction reporting requirements.
Both cases illustrate a consistent pattern: scammers specifically seek recently bereaved or isolated individuals, build relationships over extended periods using fictional identities designed to explain why they cannot meet, and exploit the trust built to extract funds that are immediately laundered through shell accounts. The Rhode Island case is particularly significant as a documented example of "General" impersonation — a military officer unable to return home — which remains one of the most commonly used romantic personas in DOJ-prosecuted cases.
Romance Scams — 2025 Data
| Metric | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Losses reported by adults 60+ | $584 million | FBI IC3 2025 |
| Adults 50+ approached online for money | 1 in 10 | AARP 2026 survey |
| Victims who never report the crime | ~55% | AARP 2026 |
| Pig butchering average loss per victim | $50,000–$500,000+ | DOJ case records |
| Most common first contact method (2025–26) | Wrong-number text / dating apps / social media | FTC 2025 |
| Relationship-building period before first ask | Weeks to months | DOJ prosecution records |
| Money typically recovered | Near zero — cryptocurrency and wire transfers are largely irreversible | FTC estimate |
Loss figures sourced from the FBI IC3 2025 Annual Report and FTC Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book 2025. Survey data from AARP Fraud Watch Network 2026. Loss figures represent self-reported amounts and are significant underestimates — the FTC estimates fewer than 1 in 8 fraud victims report to authorities, and AARP research suggests the true non-reporting rate for romance scams is even higher due to shame.
Romance scam losses have grown year over year despite increased awareness campaigns, driven by the industrialization of pig butchering operations from Southeast Asian scam compounds and the use of AI tools that allow single operators to maintain dozens of simultaneous "relationships."
Sources Used on This Page
All statistics on this page are drawn from primary government and research sources. Loss figures represent self-reported amounts and are considered significant underestimates. This page is reviewed on an ongoing basis as new data becomes available.
Last updated: April 2026