How-to · 18+
How to report a dating scam before they wipe the chat
Screenshot the profile, the money ask, and the off-app handle. Report in the app first so other people stop matching them. Then tell the bank and, in the US, the FTC. What the crime looks like: romance scams hub. Fuller head-term hub (evidence, Match, recovery warning): report a dating scammer.
1. Freeze the evidence
Screenshot the profile URL or username, photos, the chat, wire instructions, wallet addresses, and the WhatsApp number. If they sent a link, copy it into a note — do not open it again. Do not send them one last message to “catch them.” They already know.
2. Report and block in the app
- Tinder: profile → share icon / three dots → Report. Pick the closest reason (scam, fake, offensive).
- Bumble: profile → three dots → Report.
- Hinge: profile → three dots → Report.
Blocking without reporting hides them from you and leaves them in circulation. Do both.
3. Money
Call the bank or card on the statement. Say it was a romance or investment scam if that’s what it was — the script matters for the fraud team. Gift cards and irreversible crypto are often gone; still report the purchase point (Target receipt, Coinbase, Cash App). Never pay a “tax” to release funds. That’s the second bite.
4. Government reports (they compile patterns)
- US: ReportFraud.ftc.gov and ic3.gov
- UK: Action Fraud
- Australia: Scamwatch / ReportCyber
If you sent intimate images and they’re threatening to leak them, that’s sextortion. In the US, report to the FBI IC3 and consider the platform’s revenge-porn flow. Do not pay. Paying does not buy deletion. Playbook: sextortion help.