Fake Travel-to-Meet-You Scams on Dating Apps
How romance scammers on dating apps create elaborate travel stories and crises to solicit money for flights or travel expenses to visit a victim they have no intention of meeting.
Part of: Fake 'Travel to Meet You' Scams
Last reviewed: 8 June 2026
The promise of finally meeting an online romantic connection is one of the most powerful emotional levers in romance fraud. Scammers operating on dating apps exploit this by building a relationship to the point where both parties agree to meet in person, then constructing a series of obstacles — all requiring financial assistance — that prevent the meeting from ever happening.
Each obstacle is designed to feel credibly unfortunate and temporary. The victim, deeply invested after weeks or months of communication, provides money for flights, hotels, visas, or medical emergencies, only to encounter another crisis. The pattern repeats until the victim runs out of funds or realises they have been deceived.
How this scam works on dating apps
After weeks of intensive communication on a dating app, the scammer proposes an in-person meeting and appears to book travel. Shortly before the supposed departure, a crisis emerges — a medical emergency, a stolen passport, an unexpected debt, or a travel restriction that requires a fee to resolve. Each solution is paid for by the victim, but another crisis follows immediately.
Scammers may provide fake boarding passes, flight booking confirmations, or tracking numbers for a care package to sustain the illusion of genuine intent to travel. In some cases, a fake airline or travel agency is involved as a secondary scam, charging additional fees for non-existent services.
Common red flags
- Every attempt to meet in person is thwarted by a new emergency
- Financial requests always arise right before or after the supposed travel date
- Airline booking confirmations or receipts look generic and cannot be verified with the airline
- The person has refused or been unable to do a spontaneous live video call
- Stories about their life, job, or location are inconsistent across conversations
- They have never met any of your friends or family despite a long relationship
How to protect yourself
- Never send money to someone you have not met in person, regardless of the stated emergency
- Insist on a spontaneous video call before any financial discussion
- Verify any travel bookings independently with the airline or hotel directly
- If an in-person meeting cannot happen after multiple attempts, treat it as a serious warning sign
- Discuss the relationship with a trusted friend or family member to get an outside perspective
How to report it
- Report the account on the dating app using the in-app report function
- Report to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov (US) or Action Fraud (UK)
- If money was sent, contact your bank immediately and report the transfer
Frequently asked questions
Why do romance scammers never seem to be able to actually travel?
The entire premise of travelling to meet you is a pretext to generate credible-sounding financial emergencies. The goal was never to meet — it is to extract money through a succession of solvable crises that each require your financial help.