Romance scam
Meet Susan, 61*
She didn’t realise playing games online could lead to being trapped in a romance scam.
“It felt like a real friendship, until he started asking for money.”
Last year, Australians lost over 23 million dollars* to romance scams.
Scammers know that loneliness can make us vulnerable and they're experts at exploiting the basic human need to connect with others.
Susan*, 61, found herself chatting with someone she met through an online game. Living alone and feeling lonely, the friendly conversations seemed harmless at first and she even enjoyed having someone to talk to during the day. But what started as small requests for financial help soon grew into increasingly larger demands.
It started with meeting through a popular game playing site, which many Australians use to play games connecting with people from around the world. The scammer took their time, building trust through shared interests and regular chats before money ever came into the picture.
When things took a turn
As Susan* continued to send money, the requests from her "friend" kept getting bigger and more frequent. When needing help with a transaction, she spoke with a MyState Bank team member for assistance. During their conversation, the team member noticed something wasn't quite right about her recent transactions and increased frequency.
They took the time to chat with *Susan about these payments, asking general questions to understand more about where the money was going. When things didn't add up, our team member quickly got in touch with our fraud department to help look deeper into the transactions.
Scammers start small, maybe asking for help with game credits or a minor emergency. It's all part of their plan, what they are doing is called ‘grooming’ they shower their target with attention and understanding, trying t.
Grooming in a romance scam commonly looks like:
- Getting people to keep the relationship secret
- Giving constant attention and compliments
- Making their target feel guilty when questioned
- Putting emotional pressure around money requests
- Creating a false sense of closeness
Facing the truth
Once the transactions were identified as a romance scam, through caring conversations, our Fraud department helped *Susan understand what was really going on. With the team's support, she cut off all contact with the scammer, was able to stop any more losses and protect herself from any future attempts.
A MyState Fraud Prevention team member says, “Unfortunately, we’re seeing these types of cases a lot more, innocent chats that turn into financial exploitation. Scammers look for targets on platforms where people naturally want to connect, like online games, social media, and dating sites.”
The warning signs
- Asks for money, usually starting with small amount
- You've met through a free platform that doesn't need payment to play
- Always has reasons why they can't meet in person
- Keeps telling stories about needing financial help
