In short
If a dating scam has cost you money, call your bank first, then report it. England, Wales and Northern Ireland: Report Fraud (0300 123 2040). Scotland: Police Scotland on 101. US: ReportFraud.ftc.gov and the FBI's IC3. Canada: the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (1-888-495-8501). Australia: ReportCyber or Scamwatch. New Zealand: Netsafe or police on 105.
| England, Wales, NI | Report Fraud, 0300 123 2040 |
|---|---|
| Scotland | Police Scotland, 101 |
| United States | ReportFraud.ftc.gov; ic3.gov |
| Canada | Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, 1-888-495-8501 |
| Australia | ReportCyber if you lost money or details; otherwise Scamwatch |
| New Zealand | Netsafe, 0508 638 723; Police, 105 |
A dating scam is any trick that uses a profile or a chat on a dating site to take your money, your card details or your personal information. Reporting it does two jobs: it gives you the best chance of stopping the payment, and it helps fraud services link your case to others. Do the first three steps below today, wherever you live.
Do these three things first, wherever you are
- Call your bank or card issuer now. The faster they know, the better the chance of stopping or recovering a payment. Use the number on the back of your card, not one the scammer gave you.
- Stop contact and keep the evidence. Don't delete anything. Screenshot the profile, the messages, any usernames, phone numbers or payment details they gave you, and your payment records.
- Report the profile to the site so it can be removed before it reaches someone else. On Just Naughty Singles, report it through the members help centre with the username and screenshots.
Then report the crime to the right body for where you live.
Where to report, at a glance
| Where you live | Report to | Phone | Emergency |
|---|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, Northern Ireland | Report Fraud | 0300 123 2040 | 999 |
| Scotland | Police Scotland | 101 | 999 |
| United States | FTC (ReportFraud.ftc.gov) and FBI IC3 (ic3.gov) | Online | 911 |
| Canada | Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre | 1-888-495-8501 | 911 |
| Australia | ReportCyber (lost money or details) or Scamwatch | Online | 000 |
| New Zealand | Netsafe, and NZ Police | Netsafe 0508 638 723; Police 105 | 111 |
What to have ready
Every service will ask for broadly the same things, and having them in one place makes each report quicker:
- The site and the profile name, plus any other usernames, phone numbers or email addresses they used
- Screenshots of the profile and the conversation, including dates
- Each payment: date, amount, method (card, transfer, gift card, crypto) and any reference or wallet address
- A short timeline in your own words: when you met, when they first asked for money, what they said it was for
Scam, billing dispute or threat?
Not every bad experience on a dating site is a crime, and the right route depends on what happened.
| What happened | What it usually is | Where to start |
|---|---|---|
| A site kept charging after you cancelled | A billing dispute | The site, then your card issuer (cancelling and refunds) |
| A member sent you to another site to "verify" with your card | Fraud | Your bank, then the reporting body below |
| You sent money for travel, bills or an emergency | Fraud (often called a romance scam) | Your bank, then the reporting body below |
| Someone wants money to keep images private | Sextortion, a crime | The police or reporting body below, and our sextortion guide |
United Kingdom
England, Wales and Northern Ireland: Report Fraud. Report online at reportfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040. Report Fraud replaced Action Fraud in December 2025, so if you've seen the old name, this is the service that now does that job.
Scotland: Police Scotland. Call Police Scotland on 101, or 999 in an emergency. Report Fraud doesn't take reports from Scotland.
Your bank, fast: 159. In the UK, calling 159 connects you securely to many major banks' fraud teams. It's a good number to know if you're not sure the number you have is genuine.
United States
The FTC. Report scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The Federal Trade Commission uses reports to spot patterns and bring cases; it doesn't resolve individual complaints. If you paid a scammer, the FTC's romance scam advice is to contact your bank or the payment company immediately and ask for a refund.
The FBI's IC3. For online crime, including romance scams and sextortion, report to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center. Include payment details and any usernames, emails or phone numbers.
Card charges and identity theft. To dispute a credit card charge, write to the issuer within 60 days of the first bill showing it. If the scammer used your details to open accounts, the FTC's IdentityTheft.gov takes you through a recovery plan.
Local police can take a report too, which your bank may ask for. In an emergency, call 911.
Canada
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. Report online through the cybercrime and fraud reporting system or call 1-888-495-8501. Report to your local police as well, and call 911 if you're in danger.
Australia
ReportCyber or Scamwatch. If you've lost money or personal information, report it through ReportCyber at cyber.gov.au. If you haven't lost anything but want to warn others, report it to Scamwatch.
IDCARE helps people whose identity documents or details have been taken; see idcare.org.
Intimate images: if someone is threatening to share images of you, the eSafety Commissioner can help get them removed. In an emergency, call 000.
New Zealand
Netsafe. Netsafe helps with online scams and harm, including threats to share intimate images. Its helpline is 0508 638 723.
Police. Report to New Zealand Police on 105, the non-emergency number, or 111 in an emergency.
What happens after you report
Expect a reference number rather than a detective on the phone. Fraud services mostly use reports to build cases and spot patterns, so you may not hear about an individual investigation. Your bank is the one most likely to get money back, which is why it comes first.
Keep your reference numbers together. Your bank, the dating site and any later police contact may all ask for them.
If they're threatening to share images
That's sextortion, and it has its own guide: what to do about sextortion. The short version is don't pay, stop replying, keep the evidence and report it.
Watch out for the second scam
People who've been scammed are often targeted again, by someone claiming they can recover the money for a fee, or posing as police, a lawyer or a bank. No genuine fraud service charges you to get money back. Contact the official bodies above directly, using the details on this page.
Before the next one
Most dating scams follow the same steps: a keen profile, a quick move to another app, then a request for money or card details. Our guides to fake profiles, chat bots and billing traps show how to spot each step, our meeting safely checklist covers the in-person side, and our safety page covers the rest.
Questions people ask
Is it worth reporting if I only lost a small amount?
Yes. Reports are how fraud services link cases and spot the same scammer working through many people, and a small loss is often the first step before a bigger request. Your bank also needs to know quickly, whatever the amount, because the same card or account details may be used again.
I'm embarrassed about the kind of site I met them on. Will that matter?
Fraud services and police deal with dating scams all the time, including ones that start on adult sites. You're the victim of a crime, and using a hookup site as an adult isn't against the law. You only need to give the facts: who, when, how much, and how you paid.
Can I get my money back?
Sometimes, especially if you tell your bank fast. Card payments can often be disputed through a chargeback. Bank transfers, gift cards and crypto are much harder to recover, which is exactly why scammers ask for them. Never pay anyone who contacts you offering to recover the money for a fee: that's a second scam.
Do I report to the dating site, the police or the fraud service?
All three, in that order of urgency: your bank first to protect your money, the site so the profile can be removed, then the official reporting body for where you live. In an emergency, or if someone is threatening you in person, call the police on the emergency number straight away.
What information should I have ready?
The profile name and site, any usernames, phone numbers or email addresses used, screenshots of the messages, and the dates, amounts and methods of every payment. Add bank references or crypto wallet addresses if you have them. Write a short timeline while it's fresh; it makes every report quicker.
Keep reading
- Sextortion after a hookup chat: what to do and who to tellWhat to do in the first hour if someone threatens to share intimate images, why not to pay, and who to tell in each country.
- How to spot a fake hookup profile: seven tellsSeven tells that a hookup profile isn't a real, available person, three quick tests, and what to do next.
- Billing traps on hookup sites, and how to avoid themTrials that renew, forgotten renewals, unfamiliar statement names, credits, fake verification charges, and how to stop each.
- Six clauses to read in a dating site's terms before you payThe six clauses worth finding in any dating site's terms, what they mean for you, and the words to search for.
Sources
- Report Fraud (England, Wales and Northern Ireland)
- Police Scotland
- 159 — Stop Scams UK
- Report fraud — Federal Trade Commission
- What to know about romance scams — FTC
- Using credit cards and disputing charges — FTC
- IdentityTheft.gov — FTC
- Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) — FBI
- Report cybercrime and fraud — Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre
- ReportCyber — Australian Cyber Security Centre
- Scamwatch
- IDCARE
- eSafety Commissioner
- Netsafe
- New Zealand Police
Checked 18 October 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.