Think of ClickFit like road safety for digital dating.
STOP your scroll.
CHECK for warning signs.
PROTECT yourself online.
ClickFit: Romance scams
Date online with confidence. Protect your heart and your wallet.
More Australians are meeting people online and while most experiences are genuine, some are not. Romance scams are a growing form of cybercrime in Australia, causing serious emotional and financial harm to those impacted.
ClickFit will help you recognise the warning signs of romance scams and build simple habits so you can click on love with caution and confidence.
Romance scams cause more than financial loss.
Romance scams are one of the most emotionally devastating forms of cybercrime. Many people experience a “double hit” — losing money while grieving a relationship they believed was real.
Victims may also experience:
- Embarrassment or shame
- Isolation or relationship strain
- Ongoing emotional distress
Anyone can be targeted. Being scammed is never a personal failure — scams are crimes, and scammers are highly skilled at manipulation.
How do romance scams work?
Knowing the pattern makes scams easier to spot
While every scam is different, romance scams often follow a familiar pattern:
- Contact – Someone connects with you on a dating app, social media or messaging platform
- Trust building – They show intense interest or affection (often called love bombing) and ask to move the chat from app or website to a messaging platform
- Excuses – They avoid meeting or video calling
- Crisis or opportunity – A sudden emergency or investment offer appears (this can be in the form of cryptocurrency)
- Money requests – You’re asked to send money, cryptocurrency, gift cards, or share bank account details
- Disappear or repeat – Contact immediately stops, or they continue to ask for more money
Recognising even one of these stages early can help prevent harm.
Are you fit to Click Date?
Introducing these six simple steps into your online dating routine can help protect you from romance scams:
💔 Don't move the chat to another platform
Pressure to move the chat to another messaging platform quickly is a warning sign.
💔 Verify the person
Reverse-image search photos, check their social media presence, contact legitimate organisations or person/s directly.
💔 Ask to video call or meet in person
If they refuse to video-call or meet in person, they are likely a romance scammer.
💔 Never send money or share accounts
Don’t send money, cryptocurrency, gift cards, or bank account details to anyone you’ve met online.
💔 Watch out for romance scam tactics
Be aware of love-bombing, emotional manipulation and pressure tactics used by cybercriminals to deceive you.
💔 Talk to someone you trust
Friends, family, and support services – a second opinion often helps to spot or confirm warning signs.
Learn more about ClickFit and take the quiz
How to check who you’re really talking to
Real people are happy to be verified — scammers avoid it
You can help protect yourself by:
- Taking your time and avoid being rushed if something doesn’t feel right
- Looking for vague, inconsistent or incomplete profiles
- Asking questions and looking for answers or excuses that don’t add up
- Searching their name or images online
- Doing a reverse image search on profile photos
If something feels off, it’s okay to pause and walk away.
AI TREND ALERT: Scammers use AI to create images, videos, chatbots and face swaps that look realistic but are fake. They even use AI during live video-chats to mimic another person’s face and voice.
Spotting AI in romance scams?
- Images look slightly blurred, pixelated or hyper realistic (too perfect, smooth, no texture)
- A voice that sounds automated, flat, with perfect rhythm, no tone/emotion and no breathing sounds
- Make sure if you video-call them, its live and spontaneous. Always call them first. This way they don’t have time to generate an AI produced video.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of a romance scam:
Support is available — you’re not alone
Follow these steps:
- Stop all contact with the scammer
- Contact your bank immediately to block transactions or access to your bank account/credit cards
- Report the scam to police via ReportCyber
- Talk to someone you trust
- Get support from services such as:
- IDCARE
- Free financial counselling services
Support is confidential, and help is available.
Download the ClickFit Stakeholder Kit for campaign assets
ClickFit is a national cybercrime prevention campaign by the Joint Policing Cybercrime Coordination Centre.
