It’s the most romantic day of the year, and around the globe people are thinking about love – including scammers.

In 2024, South Australians lost almost $2 million to romance scammers, and this Valentine’s Day the State Government is taking the opportunity to warn people about these scams.

Last year, there were 176 reports made to Scamwatch from South Australians, with the number of scams generally thought to be much higher as embarrassment often means these cons go underreported.

Romance scammers often profess love and affection very quickly to try to influence their targets, usually coming up with elaborate stories about why they need money urgently, with most victims contacted via social media.

They may also convince people to take out money for a fake investment, often saying it’s in cryptocurrency.

According to Consumer and Business Services, the practical steps people can take to protect themselves in the world of online dating include:

• Before you tell someone you’re interested in them, do a reverse-image search on Google or TinEye. This can help determine if their profile image is legitimate.
• Arrange to meet in person in a safe place or ask to speak via video. If they can’t, it’s a warning sign.
• Watch out for any request to send them money through methods such as money order, wire transfer, international funds transfer, pre-loaded cards, or electronic currency, like bitcoin. If you are the victim of a scam, it is difficult to recover money sent through these methods.

If you think you have been scammed, contact your bank or financial institution as soon as possible.

For more information about romance scams, click here (external site) and to report a scam, click here. (external site)