[safety](https://safemeet.now/safety) # Scams in anonymous chat: 8 red flags Most chat scams follow a handful of scripts. Here are the patterns that keep showing up in the US and UK figures, and the one rule that beats nearly all of them. Updated October 23, 2026 ## The size of it Consumers reported [$15.9 billion in fraud losses to the FTC in 2025](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/03/ftc-testifies-joint-economic-committee-agencys-efforts-combat-fraud), with investment scams the largest category. Nearly six in ten people who reported losing money to a romance scam in 2025 said [it started on social media](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/04/new-ftc-data-show-people-have-lost-billions-social-media-scams). The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center recorded $7.2 billion lost to crypto investment fraud in 2025 and notes that these scams typically start on dating apps and then quickly move the conversation to a messaging platform ([IC3 2025 report](https://www.ic3.gov/AnnualReport/Reports/2025%5FIC3Report.pdf)). ## Eight red flags 1. **They want to move you off the app, fast.** The FBI sees crypto investment scams start on dating apps and quickly move to a messaging platform, and a push to another platform is also on [NCMEC's sextortion warning list](https://www.missingkids.org/theissues/sextortion). 2. **They ask to be paid in gift cards, crypto or a wire transfer.** [Only scammers will tell you to buy a gift card](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/avoiding-and-reporting-gift-card-scams), and [only scammers demand payment in cryptocurrency](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-know-about-cryptocurrency-and-scams), in the FTC's words. 3. **They can never meet in person.** There is always an excuse, which is a romance-scam sign on [the FTC's list](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-know-about-romance-scams). 4. **They offer investment tips or promise big returns.** The FTC's advice is never to mix online dating and investment advice. 5. **They ask for intimate photos early**, or offer "I'll show you if you show me". That is the opening of sextortion; the [sextortion guide](https://safemeet.now/safety/sextortion) says what to do. 6. **They make it urgent or emotional.** The UK's National Cyber Security Centre asks a useful question: [does the message make you panic, fearful, hopeful or curious?](https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/phishing-scams/spot-scams) 7. **They ask you to keep it secret.** A real friend does not need you to hide them. 8. **They offer to get back money you already lost**, for a fee. Someone who has already been scammed is exactly who the next pitch is aimed at. The rule that beats almost all of them is the FTC's: never send money or gifts to a sweetheart you haven't met in person. It works just as well for anyone else you only know from a chat. ## On SafeMeet A pitch is judged by what it says, like any other message. It is scored against the scam category; a flagged text is delivered with a safety notice to its sender, and one the check scores high enough to block is withheld. There is no copy-paste or volume detection today, so the hundredth copy of a pitch is judged the same way as the first. The full picture is in [what gets blocked](https://safemeet.now/guides/what-gets-blocked). If a chat turns into a pitch, end it and report it. ## Questions about chat scams ### I already sent money. What now? Stop sending more, contact your bank or payment provider straight away, and report it: in the US at ReportFraud.ftc.gov or the FBI’s ic3.gov, elsewhere to your national fraud line or police. Be wary of anyone who then offers to recover the money for a fee. ### Can someone I met in chat give me real investment advice? Treat it as a scam. The FTC’s rule of thumb is never to mix online dating and investment advice, and it warns that scammers promise big payouts. ### Does SafeMeet block scam messages? A pitch is scored against the scam category before delivery; a flagged text is delivered with a safety notice to its sender, and one the check scores high enough to block is withheld. A link on its own is not a category, so what decides is what the message says. Sources checked on October 23, 2026: the US Federal Trade Commission, the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, the UK National Cyber Security Centre and NCMEC, each linked where it is cited. ## Ready to talk to someone? Tap Start chatting for a guest session: no signup, no email and no card. [Start chatting ](https://app.safemeet.now/inbox) --- Source: https://safemeet.now/safety/scams