They love
me, they love me not: how to detect romance scams and sextortion
March 9, 2026 - City of Prince George, British Columbia
From: Prince George RCMP
Romance scams and sextortion are not new types of fraud –they’ve been around for a long time. It’s the ways that fraudsters are using these scams combined with new techniques that are continuing to trap unsuspecting users.
Romance Scams:
A romance scam is when someone on the internet convinces you to enter into a completely virtual relationship, with the goal of gaining your trust. These most often occur through email and fake dating or social media profiles.
Once the fraudster has gained your trust, they will start making financial requests. Sometimes they will ask you for money for an “emergency” that has developed, or else to join in a business venture of theirs or to invest in cryptocurrency with them.
They will use any means they can to convince you that their requests are legitimate and with advances in AI (artificial intelligence) technology, they can create official looking documents and videos that are often very difficult to detect as forgeries or fakes.
Sextortion:
Sextortion is like a Romance Scam in that the fraudster will use a fake social media account or dating app profile to create a relationship with the victim. However, instead of asking for money, they will convince the person to perform sexual acts in front of the camera; send nude images or videos; or have sexual conversations via private message. With AI technology,
they can create convincing videos that support the narrative of who they are or where they are pretending to be located.
These fraudsters are not amateurs and know how to convince their victims to start sharing; once the fraudster has the victim’s content, they will threaten to share it publicly if the victim does not send either money or more material. They are often tied to organized crime networks around the world.
“Romance scams and sextortion work similarly in that the fraudster will often start on an open platform and then quickly ask the victim to migrate the conversation to a private chatroom or encrypted app. This is so they are less likely to be detected by chat bots looking for specific text that blocks the chat, and to better isolate their victim from friends or family who may stop the conversation,” states Corporal Jennifer Cooper, Media Relations Officer for the Prince George RCMP.
Here are some tips to help keep you safe from Romance Scams and Sextortion:
• Familiarize yourself with social media privacy settings and consider limiting who has access to your personal information (i.e. friends list, location)
• Unless you know the person offline, there is no way to confirm who is on the other end
• Trust your instincts, be skeptical and cautious
• Never send money to someone you haven't met
• Don’t give out your personal information (name, address, DOB, SIN, banking credentials)
• Don’t accept friend requests from people you do not know
• Don’t invest your money in platforms provided by people you don’t know
For more information about Romance Scams and Sexting, check out our Safety Tips page or visit the Canadian AntiFaud Centre.
Corporal Jennifer Cooper Media Relations Officer
Prince George RCMP
princegeorge_media@rcmp-grc.gc.ca
250-561-3300
ANSWERS ON PG 33
1. Four-leaf clovers are considered what?
2. What Irish band had a Billboard Top 10 hit with the 1968 song "The Unicorn"
3. What traditional Irish dish combines mashed potatoes and cabbage?
4. What is the term for a young Irish woman or girl?
5. What popular theater show featured Michael Flatley and Jean Butler stepdancing to traditional Irish music?
TAURUS (Apr.
21-May 20)
Be cautious about any new obligations that may be presenting themselves. On another level you may have the chance to begin to alter certain aspects, when it comes to commitments that cannot be fully dropped, to a stage where you free yourself up to some degree. It may take some persistence on your part up to late April to fully succeed.
LEO (July 23-August 22)
There could be some significant surprises when it comes to other people, which have an unpredictable and perhaps exciting element to it. Be especially aware when it comes to new people. Knowing anybody’s true intentions could be difficult to fathom. New, stable future opportunities can begin to develop now but patience is required to your birthday.
GEMINI
(May 21
-June 20)
Financial commitments may now need to take priority. You could feel some sort of freedom you have become used to needs to be curbed, though in many cases it simply means going back to ways in which you have had to handle things before. You could now take a more serious approach to the practical things that are important in life.
VIRGO
(August 23-Sept.22)
SCORPIO (Oct.23-Nov21)
You could suddenly realise it is time to get serious about the manner in which you want to structure things in life, which could include home and family matters. The independence, rebelliousness or excitement connected to others and how this could impact what you now begin to realise you will need to take responsibility for on a regular basis should get you thinking.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb.18)
The Solar Eclipse this week occurs in your sign providing with the opportunity to see what has changed since 2019 and perhaps any aspects of that which might be better dropped by late April. With Pluto in your sign for the next 19 years you will need to be in control of your circumstances and now could be a first step towards exactly that, so that you can enjoy life more so.
You have now entered major cycles where the expectations of others could be draining and demanding. This can be a huge test to your natural tendency to be of service to other people. You have to learn to only do as much as you can manage for your own well being. You could suddenly realise this now and during the next few weeks. Don’t put your own priorities to one side.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov.22-Dec.21)
You may need to cope as best you can at the moment when it comes to the expectations of others, especially if you are attempting to get some sort of order in place. It may be hard work to introduce something new or to be innovative. Don’t give up though because a lot of what may not seem to be accepted or responded to now could change dramatically from late April to late June.
PISCES
(Feb. 19-March 20)
There is a lot building up behind the scenes that could place you in a situation of having to make some unexpected decisions or where there could be the need for you to find out more information. Be careful right now of making decisions on the spur of the moment that have some sort of increase attached. Saturn has now moved out of your sign where it has been since 2023. It won’t be back for 30 years but will now require some practicality with your finances to April 2028.
CANCER (June 21-July 22)
Any situation that you personally felt optimistic about where the future is concerned could come up with mixed messages at the moment. Hold back on any tendency to be too generous of yourself and your time. Any new commitments may not be as they are presented and for this reason you should take a wait and see attitude so that you can see what surfaces later.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct.22)
Relationships, which can include work, business or personal will come under greater focus for many years. There was some experience of this from March to October last year but now these cycles have settled for the long term. Get others to make themselves clear and be cautious of taking on too many commitments to mid year. From late April exciting future opportunities could begin to emerge.
CAPRICORN (Dec.
22-Jan.19)
A significant long term new foundation will now begin to establish itself in your life. There was an initial experience of this from March to October last year but now it is here to stay. You could have less free time than you have been used to, from late April onwards requiring you to become more innovative when it comes to the things you need to manage on a regular basis. .
ARIES
(March 21-April 20)
Saturn has now moved back into your sign to stay there until April 2028. This is a new 30 year cycle that began last year from late May to September. Saturn is linking exactly with Neptune in your sign this week, which is a once in a lifetime occurrence. This could relate to a major turning point in your life that breaks down some sort of limitation in some way, though you can’t escape responsibilities.
There should be an optional “people are sleeping” button on the microwave to stop all the extra loud beeping.
