Family 2 of 11

Relationship and trust

Scams that build a relationship first, from romance and wrong-number texts to cloned voices of family members asking for urgent help.

Scam types

Romance scam
A romance scam is when someone fakes a relationship online, on a dating app, social media, or a game, to win your trust and then ask for money. They always have a reason they
Deepfake romance scam
A deepfake romance scam is a romance scam that uses AI to seem real: generated profile photos, chat scripts written by AI, and sometimes live face-swapped video calls or cloned
Wrong-number friendship lure
A wrong-number lure is a text or chat message that seems sent to you by mistake, such as a missed dinner plan or a greeting. When you reply, the sender apologises, keeps chatting
Family emergency and grandparent scam
A family emergency scam is a call or message from someone pretending to be a grandchild, child, or other relative in trouble, often in jail or after an accident, who needs money
Hijacked-account friend in need
A friend-in-need scam is a message from a friend or relative's real account that has been taken over, or from a new number claiming to be them, asking for urgent money or a