How Crypto Romance Scams Work (and How to Spot Them)

Published: July 2025

In recent years, a new and dangerous scam has been growing fast: the crypto romance scam. These scams blend the emotional manipulation of romance scams with the financial complexity and urgency of cryptocurrency trading.

What Is a Crypto Romance Scam?

A crypto romance scam starts like a typical online romance. You meet someone charming on a dating app or social media. They seem kind, interested, and emotionally available. After building trust, the conversation shifts—they begin talking about a "guaranteed" way to make money investing in cryptocurrency.

They often:

• Claim they’ve made a lot of money through crypto and want to share their "secret."
• Offer to teach you how to invest, acting as your mentor.
• Insist on using a specific, unknown trading platform or app (which is always fake).
• Pressure you to act fast so you don't "miss out" on huge gains.

Once you send your money to their platform, it vanishes. The person blocks you, and the website or app becomes inaccessible. The money is gone forever.

Why These Scams Are So Effective

Cryptocurrency can be confusing, and scammers use that confusion to their advantage. They create an illusion of expertise and exploit the trust they've built to cloud your judgment. They may even let you withdraw a small "profit" at first to convince you the platform is real.

Red Flags to Watch For

• Any mention of crypto investing, especially early in your conversations.
• Promises of guaranteed returns or "risk-free" profits.
• Pressure to move money off of legitimate, well-known crypto exchanges (like Coinbase or Binance) onto a site you've never heard of.
• A sense of urgency, telling you an opportunity is only available for a short time.
• They continue to avoid video calls or have excuses for not meeting in person.

What to Do if You’re Unsure

1. NEVER send money or crypto based on the advice of someone you've only met online.
2. Trust your gut. If it feels too good to be true, it is.
3. Suggest a video call. If they refuse, that is a major red flag.
4. Talk to someone you trust. A second opinion can help break the emotional spell the scammer has cast.

Crypto scams are growing—but so is awareness. If you are unsure about a person or a platform they're recommending, book a private scam check. Your safety is worth it.