A romance scam is an elaborate scheme in which a criminal spends weeks, months and sometimes even years love bombing and emotionally manipulating a targeted individual in order to steal their money. Many times these criminals work for full-fledged operations targeting thousands of individuals and stretching across international borders.

Scammers comb through dating sites and social media accounts searching for lonely individuals—often targeting people who were recently divorced or widowed. Using intense flattery and constant compliments to build trust and commitment, they prey on the kindness of these unsuspecting victims, using fake bad luck stories and emotional manipulation to con them into sending money.

Romance scams can have dire effects on a survivor’s financial well being. However, many don’t realize the emotional and mental toll these types of scams can have. Survivors of romance scams often feel embarrassed and guilty for not being able to recognize the scam and for becoming involved to begin with. The feelings of falling in love can be very intense, and the betrayal of trust by the scammer can invoke feelings of anger, betrayal, distrust, shame or grief. In an effort to help these survivors work through the loss, embarrassment, and isolation that can accompany romance scams, Cybercrime Support Network (CSN) offers a free and confidential romance scam support group.

The Peer Support Program

CSN’s Peer Support Program helps romance scam survivors through the healing process of loss and embarrassment, while teaching them cybercrime awareness and education. This program was built to support the participants’ mental well-being and decreasing rates of revictimization.

We offer the Peer Support Program at no cost to participants via a remote structure (i.e. telephone or video conference). It allows individuals to connect with others beyond their immediate community and reduces barriers to participation.

This free program provides:

• 10 weekly one-hour peer group sessions
• Peer groups comprised of up to 25 participants
• A lesson plan for each session, including educational resources on fraud, scams and cyber safety topics
• Information and support for mental wellness in each session
• Exclusive access to a private Facebook group where past and current participants can ask questions, share resources and learn more about being safe online

To sign up or refer someone, visit our program registration page.