Romance scam signs, and the number behind them.
A romance scam is a sales process with a love story on top. It has a script, a schedule and, almost always, a phone number. The story is hard to check. The number isn't.
The signs, in the order they usually appear
Scammers run the same playbook because it works. Seen in sequence, it is unmistakable. Seen one message at a time, in the middle of a nice conversation, it is not. Read the list once so you recognise the shape.
- Fast intimacy. Pet names and "I've never felt this way" inside a week, before you have met.
- A reason they can't meet. Deployed overseas, on an oil rig, a doctor with an aid organisation, stuck abroad on a contract.
- A move off the app within days, to WhatsApp, Telegram or text, so the platform can't see what comes next.
- No video. The camera is broken, the connection is bad, the base doesn't allow it.
- A crisis with a price. A customs fee, a medical bill, a plane ticket to finally come and see you.
- A specific way to pay. Gift cards, wire transfer, crypto, or an "investment platform" they will teach you to use.
- Secrecy. They ask you not to tell friends or family, because "they wouldn't understand".
What the complaint data shows
WarnIQ ingests two public federal datasets: consumer complaints filed with the FTC Do Not Call registry and with the FCC. Neither agency verifies the complaints, and these are counts, not names. But the shape of the data is useful: it shows how many numbers people are complaining about, what the calls claimed to be, and how many were recorded messages rather than a person.
Unverified consumer complaints filed with the FTC Do Not Call registry and the FCC. The agencies do not verify these reports. FTC: "None of the information about the reported calls is verified." Source: ftc.gov, fcc.gov. Counts only; updated hourly, latest complaint on record Nov 4, 2026.
The scripts to recognise
The military romance. A serviceman overseas who needs money for leave papers, a satellite phone or a "deployment fee". None of those exist. Service members do not need you to pay for leave.
The pig butchering scam. A wrong-number text or a match who is doing suspiciously well in crypto. They are patient, they may let you withdraw a small "profit" once, and the platform they coach you into is theirs. When you try to take out a large sum, there is a tax, then a fee, then silence.
The sextortion turn. Intimate photos are requested early, then used as leverage. Do not pay; paying confirms you will pay again. Report it to the platform and to the FBI's IC3.
The recovery scam. After a loss, someone contacts you claiming they can get the money back for a fee. That is the same scammer, or a friend of theirs.
Check the number before you send anything
The story is designed to be uncheckable. The phone number is not. Run it on WarnIQ before any money moves and look at four things.
- Does the number belong to the person they say they are? Name, age range and city on record, next to the story.
- Is it a real carrier line or a free internet number? Scammers lean on throwaway numbers because they can be dropped.
- Has anyone complained about it? FTC and FCC complaint counts on the number, and what the calls claimed to be.
- Has anyone on WarnIQ reported it? Community reports in the romance scam category, reviewed before they post.
If you already sent money
Stop contact. Don't announce it, just stop. Call your bank or card issuer immediately; wires and card payments can sometimes be recalled if you move fast. For gift cards, call the card company. For crypto, report the wallet addresses to the exchange you used.
Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to the FBI at ic3.gov. Then file a community report on the number here, so the next person who checks it sees what happened. You are not the first and you will not be the last, and the report is what makes the number harder to reuse.
Why this isn't about being gullible
Romance scams work on smart, careful people because they are built to. The scammer invests weeks. They mirror your interests. They are available at 2am. The feeling is real even when the person is not, and the money ask comes when leaving feels like a loss. The only reliable defence is a habit: check the number before anyone meets, and before any money moves. See how to check someone before a first date and the catfish check.
Questions people actually ask.
Fast intimacy before meeting, a reason they can never meet or video call, a quick move off the app to WhatsApp or text, a crisis that needs money, and a specific way to pay such as gift cards, wire or crypto. Any two together is a scam until proven otherwise.
Yes. Run the number on WarnIQ. You see whose number it is, whether it is a real carrier line or a throwaway internet number, how many complaints have been filed against it with the FTC and FCC, and whether other users have reported it. The first check is free.
A long-game romance or friendship scam that ends in a fake crypto investment. The scammer builds trust for weeks, coaches you onto an investment platform they control, may let you withdraw a small profit, and then blocks withdrawals behind fees and taxes until you stop paying.
Stop contact, call your bank or card issuer immediately, report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and the FBI at ic3.gov, and file a community report on the number so the next person who checks it is warned. Keep every message and payment record.
WarnIQ is not a consumer reporting agency. Results are for personal safety decisions only and cannot be used for employment, housing, credit or any purpose covered by the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Community reports are user-submitted and reviewed for documentation; they are not verified legal findings.
The story is unverifiable. The number isn't.
Run it before anyone meets and before any money moves. Your first check is free.
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