The Sick Sweetheart Lie – FTC's Top Romance Ploy Stealing Hearts and $1.3B

#1 · October 18, 2025, 6:14 pm

Shattered hearts unite: FTC's February 2025 data reveals the "sick/injured" tale as romance scammers' ace, in 24% of 70K reports costing $1.3B. Posing as distant lovers on Tinder/FB, they bond then hit with "family emergency" wires.

Aggregate victim: A 50s widow lost $12K to a "widower's sick kid" script from Ghana – vanished post-transfer. AARP notes 40-69 bracket hit hardest, median $2K. Tactics: Mirror profiles, dodge video. Spot via RomanceScam.com photo checks; demand meets. Therapy via Cybercrime Network helped one recover emotionally.

Report to FTC/IC3 – bans profiles. Share your red flag anonymously; heal together. Sweetest sting? Vent! #RomanceRedFlags #HeartbreakHeist