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In this section we explore how online scams manipulate trust and emotions to pressure people into sharing money, images, or personal information. We cover common types of scams—including romance scams, sextortion, and AI-enhanced fraud—along with warning signs, prevention strategies, and steps to take after being targeted.
In this section we explore how online scams manipulate trust and emotions to pressure people into sharing money, images, or personal information. We cover common types of scams—including romance scams, sextortion, and AI-enhanced fraud—along with warning signs, prevention strategies, and steps to take after being targeted.
Scams are designed to trick, pressure, or emotionally manipulate someone—often to gain money, personal information, or intimate images. Many are carefully crafted to seem as believable and emotionally convincing as possible.
When we experience harm from scams, it’s common for us to feel embarrassed or blame ourselves. But the reality is that scammers are skilled manipulators who deliberately exploit trust and vulnerability.
Being targeted is never the victim’s fault.
Anyone can be affected, regardless of age, background, or tech experience. What matters most is that support is available, and there are steps that can help.
This section is for you if you’ve been targeted, or are worried you may have been targeted, for a romance, sextortion, financial, or other online scam. You might be confused about whether to trust your instincts, or feel rushed or emotionally overwhelmed. You might feel anxious or scared about what happens next, or what you can do. The information in this section can help.
Scams are designed to feel convincing. Many people are targeted in ways that build trust, hope, or emotional connection. Being harmed by a scam isn’t a reflection of intelligence or strength—it’s a reflection of how manipulative and calculated these tactics are.
It’s not foolish to believe in something that feels real. Whether we have lost money, shared images, or developed feelings, our experience still matters—and we deserve care, not blame.
These aren’t the only types of scams, but they are some of the most common. We’ll provide tips on how to identify and deal with them further on.
These scams involve someone pretending to be a romantic partner in order to build trust and emotional closeness. Once that connection is established, they often ask for money, gifts, or intimate images. Some build relationships over weeks or months before making a request or demand.
Sextortion happens when a person is threatened with the release of sexual images or videos—real or created with AI—unless they meet certain demands. This may include sending more images, transferring money, or unwillingly staying in contact. In many cases, the scammer uses emotional manipulation, impersonation, or AI-generated media to appear more believable.
These may include fake investment opportunities, fraudulent business offers, or urgent pleas for help. Some scammers impersonate trusted figures or organisations. Others offer to ‘help’ recover lost money or images, in what are known as recovery scams—often part of the same cycle of abuse.
Scams don’t always look like fraud at first. Many are designed to feel like relationships—slowly building trust and emotional closeness through dating apps, social media, email, or messaging platforms before asking for money, images, or favours. Others go for quick emotional intimacy to create intensity or urgency. Some people realise quickly that something feels off. For others, it takes time. And for many, it’s not until after the harm has happened that it becomes clear.
Even if a profile seems convincing, what matters most is the behaviour. Repeated attempts to pressure, confuse, or isolate someone are stronger warning signs than whether a photo or story looks real.
Scammers are skilled at creating connection, urgency, and pressure. None of this is our fault. If something doesn’t feel right, it’s okay to slow down, talk to someone we trust, or stop engaging altogether. We deserve honesty, consent, and emotional safety in every relationship—online or offline.
Scammers are using new tools powered by artificial intelligence to create more convincing lies, identities, and emotional manipulation tactics. These changes can make scams harder to spot—even for people who are usually cautious or experienced online.
Generative AI is developing day by day, which means the options available for scammers are also increasing. For that reason, this list doesn’t cover everything, but these are the biggest things to look out for.
Photos or videos may show people who don’t exist or appear to match the scammer’s identity. These AI-generated images can look photorealistic, especially in profile pictures or fake dating app accounts. Some scammers even use AI to create short videos in order to appear more trustworthy.
With just a short audio sample, scammers can now generate a voice that sounds like a friend, partner, or relative. One increasingly common use of voice-cloning is in scams involving urgent phone calls asking for help or money.
Some scammers now use chatbots trained to flirt, build emotional connections, or send sexual messages. Signs may include overly flattering messages, vague personal details, or responses that seem perfectly timed. These bots are often used on dating apps and social media, and they may ask for personal information or intimate images.
The clues that once helped spot AI-generated content aren’t always reliable anymore. Things like extra fingers in photos or blurry edges around objects were once common signs, but the technology is improving fast. Instead of relying on those glitches, it’s more helpful to look at the bigger picture. Here are some helpful questions to ask:
Trusting our instincts, asking questions, and slowing down can all help make sense of what we’re seeing or hearing.
Many of us feel alone, ashamed, or unsure after being targeted in a scam—especially when there’s emotional connection, financial loss, or fear involved. These experiences are more common than people realise, and every reaction is valid. They’re also deeply personal and often distressing, but help is available.
Whether we’re navigating heartbreak, fear, or just trying to figure out what to do next, we deserve support, not blame. Here are a few examples of what survivors often ask, feel, or need to hear.
Scams are designed to gain our trust, create urgency, and push them into taking quick action—often before we realise what’s happening. The steps below can help reduce risk and slow down the pressure, giving space to pause, assess, and protect personal information.
Following the guidance can be exhausting—both emotionally and practically. It’s okay to move at your own pace and choose only the steps that feel manageable right now. No one should have to manage this alone. Support is available, and you deserve safety, privacy, and peace of mind.
These may include fake investment opportunities, fraudulent business offers, or urgent pleas for help. Some scammers impersonate trusted figures or organisations. Others offer to ‘help’ recover lost money or images, in what are known as recovery scams—often part of the same cycle of abuse.
Being targeted in a scam can feel overwhelming, frightening, or isolating—especially if we shared images, lost money, or developed real emotional feelings. But support is available, and there are steps that can help.
Reporting a scam or seeking support after being targeted can be an important step—but it’s also okay to take time to prepare emotionally. Because many scams are operated anonymously or from outside the country, it can be difficult to trace the person responsible, recover money or images, or get a clear outcome. That doesn’t mean it’s not worth reporting—but it does mean the process can sometimes feel frustrating, slow, or emotionally draining.
Taking a moment to set expectations and clarify our goals can make the process feel more manageable and empowering, even if the scammer can’t be held accountable. Here are some questions that may help before reaching out for help, or filing a report:
Whatever you decide, you deserve support, and your experience matters. There’s no one right way to respond—only what feels safe and possible for you right now.
In this section, we explored how online scams manipulate trust and emotions to pressure people into sharing money, images, or personal information. We covered common types of scams—including romance scams, sextortion, and AI-enhanced fraud—along with warning signs, prevention strategies, and steps to take after being targeted.
When we’re dealing with difficult experiences, it can be hard to take in new information. That’s okay, because this guide is here to come back to at any time. For now, here are the main points to keep in mind.
Being scammed is not our fault—it just makes us human.
Scams are designed to be emotionally convincing and hard to spot.
AI tools are making scams more personalised and harder to detect.
We can take steps to protect ourselves by slowing down, trusting our feelings, and protecting our boundaries.
Support is available even if money or images were already shared.
It’s not your fault. Scams are designed to create trust, confusion, and urgency. People who experience this kind of harm are often told they should have known better—but those messages are unfair and untrue. Being manipulated or coerced by a scammer doesn’t make someone foolish. It makes them human.
