I was scammed on a dating app — what do I do?
Report the profile to the dating app, stop all contact, and secure any accounts whose credentials were shared. If money was lost, report to the FTC and FBI.
Last reviewed: 10 June 2026
Explanation
Dating app scams range from romance scams that cultivate emotional investment over weeks before requesting money, to 'pig butchering' cryptocurrency investment scams, to short-term catfish schemes requesting gift cards or wire transfers for supposed emergencies.
Immediately report the profile to the dating app's trust and safety team. All major platforms (Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, Match) have in-app reporting. Provide the profile URL, any messages, and a description of what happened. Platforms take these reports seriously and can ban accounts and flag associated phone numbers or email addresses.
If you shared personal information — your address, phone number, workplace, social media profiles — be alert to potential stalking or harassment. Consider making those social media profiles private temporarily. If you shared financial account details or identity documents, follow the steps in the relevant guides.
For financial losses, your options depend on payment method. Credit or debit card payments can often be disputed. Bank transfer, wire, Zelle, or cryptocurrency payments are harder to recover. File a report with the FTC and the FBI's IC3. Dating app fraud is a federal crime if it involves interstate communications and financial fraud.
Consider speaking with a counselor or therapist — the emotional manipulation in dating scams is sophisticated and real psychological harm results.
Common red flags
- Match quickly moves the conversation to WhatsApp, Telegram, or another off-app platform
- Profile photos are very professional-quality and the person is unusually attractive
- Person lives far away and always has a reason they cannot meet
- Very rapid emotional escalation — 'I love you' within days or a week
- Introduces a cryptocurrency investment platform after gaining your trust
- Emergency money request for a hospital bill, travel cost, or unexpected crisis
What to do now
- Report the profile to the dating app's trust and safety team
- Block all contact immediately on every platform
- Secure any personal accounts whose details were shared
- Dispute any card payments through your issuer
- File with the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov
- File with the FBI's IC3 at ic3.gov
- Seek emotional support — the harm from manipulation is real
Frequently asked questions
What is a pig butchering scam?
A pig butchering scam (also called sha zhu pan) involves a scammer building a romantic or friendly relationship over weeks, then introducing a fake cryptocurrency investment platform where victims are encouraged to invest increasing amounts until the platform disappears with all their funds.
The person on the dating app seems very real — could they be a real person being used?
The photos and possibly some biographical details may belong to a real person whose identity was stolen. The scammer communicating with you is not that person. You can verify by requesting a live video call — scammers rarely agree to these or use pre-recorded clips.