$1.3 billion. That’s how much money people lost to romance scams in a single year. As much as 18% of these scams were based on a variation of this lie – “I’m in the military, and I need your help.” This is the so-called military romance scam. Given how common it is, you should really know how it works and how to spot it. And that’s precisely what this guide will teach you.
What Is the Military Romance Scam?
For this scam, the malicious actors create fake social media accounts or dating profiles posing as military members. Then, they use those accounts to reach out to vulnerable people. These people are usually in groups expressing support for the military. That’s what makes this scam efficient. It preys on people’s admiration for those serving in the armed forces.
Scam Detectors Most Trusted Websites in Online Security
- Guard.io (100): Protect your digital world on any device – Guardio stops scams and phishing in their tracks.
- Incogni.com (100): Delete your personal data from the internet and protect against scams and identity theft.
- ExpressVPN (100) Stay secure and anonymous online - Best VPN Out There
But this isn’t what makes the military romance scam so believable. It’s the fact that real-life soldiers are behind these profiles. Well, at least their photos and information.
That’s right; scammers steal identities from actual military personnel. This makes their fake personas seem 100% authentic.
How to Spot the Military Romance Scam
Scammers will usually come up with a sob story that simply tugs at your heartstrings. But to avoid being scammed, you must think with your head – not your heart. Here are some red flags that might point to the military romance scam.
Asking for Money
Most military romance scams have one goal in mind – to get your money. Scammers will often start with small, seemingly reasonable requests – a phone card, for example. But over time, these requests will grow drastically. Scammers will ask you to pay for their medical bills, travel expenses, or equipment costs.
Whatever the excuse might be – and there are quite a few – you must remember one thing. Real soldiers will never ask strangers for money. They also don’t have to pay to take leave or receive health benefits. These are all lies – plain and simple.
Messing Up Military Details
The military element of this romance scam is why so many people fall for it. They simply feel the duty to help someone serving their country. However, this element can also help you spot the scam.
You see, scammers often get key details wrong. They might mix up military terms, confuse ranks, or lie about where they’re stationed.
For example, many scammers claimed to be U.S. soldiers stationed in Ukraine. But the U.S. doesn’t even have troops there.
It’s those small details that can take the entire scam down. So, you should pay attention to everything. What they say, what their uniform looks like, what is written on their name tag… each of these details can point to a military romance scam.
Avoiding Communication
Most scammers will avoid video calls or in-person meetings to hide their true identity. This is nothing new. However, the excuses used for the military romance scam are much more believable.
Military scammers will tell you they’re deployed in remote areas where the internet signal is weak. They might even be on a super-confidential mission, and they can’t risk blowing their cover. And these are all perfectly understandable explanations. The perfect excuses, if you will. But in reality, military personnel can have video chats when they’re not on active duty or in combat. So, if this avoidance goes on for too long, something is probably off.
Verify Another website
Are you just about to make a purchase online? See if the website is legit with our validator:
vldtr®
TOP MUST-WATCH FRAUD PREVENTION VIDEOS
1. Top 5 Amazon Scams in 2024 2. Top 5 PayPal Scams in 2024 3. How to spot a scam Email in 2024
When my sweet old grandmother got caught up in an Amazon gift card scam, I decided then and there that I needed to do whatever I could to inform as many people as possible about the grifters of the world. That’s what I do here – writing about modern scams so you don’t get caught out.
This seems to fit the bill: if it looks like a duck….
I am currently corresponding with an alleged USMarine: she claims to be based here at a legitimate Base in Australia, and claims she only has a Bitcoin account. Her rank is, allegedly, a Gunnery Sergeant and she is now a Corpsman after training as a sniper, with 25 years in the service.
She only has a laptop, can’t take or make calls given the sensitive nature of the Base, but has provided photos.
As all her pay goes directly to her US accounts for her family (daughter & mother) and she has no Australian bank account, she can only come to visit me if I pay half her fare by Bitcoin deposit – and claims not to do so exactly as she wants it done, is a breach of trust, and reason for her to break it all off.
This sounds like a duck, and this rocket scientist thinks he’s being conned… any thoughts ???
Leave him where he is at because it’s a scam for sure. I had a similar experience, and he is still insisting that he is in Syria and afraid for his life. He wants me to write a letter asking for him to be released to come home, now mind you I will need to say that his is my finance’ and pay for him to come home. NOT ME!!
Here is a most up to date scam you can get that just happened this morning.
I had recently gotten involved with a FB guy named Frank Mattew and he moved the chat to telegram right away. He said he was a soldier on a ghost mission in Yemen but never gave a specific location. Texts always occurred during his night opposite my day. He said he didn’t care about age etc and quickly decided he loved me and planned a future with his young child (cared for by the Red cross ?) That was a surprise !
He wanted me to send money to pay for a leave to come and meet in person and got upset when I refused. He asked me to write a letter to a commander at a gmail address to whom it may concern. I guessed it went to him. It sure was not official ! Then he sent photos of a great treasure (gold bars, gems ,jewels, and currency) he was given by the Yemen govt for service to local villages! He wanted my address to
send it to me. I questioned the legality of this and he ranted about not trusting him.
He decided I was impossible for requesting his birthdate and military email and said to stop texting him or if I didn’t he would get mad and “find me “. I said ok that was fine and i blocked him on Telegram.
He had tried a video call once and it sure looked like him but it lasted for only less than a minute due to “bad connections” and security. The correspondence was like everything I said was restated by AI and said back to me (red flags). Lots of flowery language with roses and emojis…So the interesting thing now is that this morning right after I blocked him(them) I got a new FB request from a girl named Luck Alison whose profile was exactly the same one used for Frank Mattew? No chages as I had read it many times looking for clues about HIM? I had looked up this name with AI and got it located in Lagos Nigeria.? He said it was a typo ? HA HA HA ?
But they wasted no time putting a gorgeous new face on the same profile info. That is hilarious! I do think I should report this in case they do decide to use my phone number from Telegram to find me?
Where is the best place to do this?
ooopps I just had another find ! I looked upmany Frank Mathews and found one in Frankfort Germany. Who aid he was raised in Aleppo Syria. That info on the ” German Frank’s profile” is dated March 2025. The portrait looks a lot liike the same guy.
So my soldier Frank’s profile said he had lived in Germany and later in conversations said he had been stationed in Aleppo !
So these scammers had may have taken one guy and dressed him up as a soldier ? Or is the scammer the real German Frank Mathew
who dressed himself up in uniform…. or really is in Yemen as a soldier? The recent texts used such bad language I then wondered about the Nigerians? This is so confusing by now I don’t know what is true and isn’t ? But some one is clearly using that same profile now on FB as a girl…..but why did she ask me to be her friend ? I’d sure like to know what this is all about and if Frank was scammed or is really in the Army and involved in this this? What do you think?