Columbus police see increase in romance scams. How to avoid being a victim
February has ties to love and romance with Valentine’s Day falling in the middle of the month. However, those in the dating scene should stay vigilant as romance scams are affecting Columbus citizens, according to Columbus Police Department Lt. Jane Edenfield.
“The scams have been around for a long time,” Edenfield told the Ledger-Enquirer. “I just feel like they kind of ebb and flow.”
Edenfield saw an unspecified rise in romance scams in the city in 2025, but she said lack of reporting due to a fear of embarrassment is a huge problem.
Romance scams have become a year-round problem, Edenfield said. She has noticed the scammers who perpetrate these frauds watch social media and see when someone is vulnerable after losing a loved one, spouse or family member.
“That’s kind of when they strike,” Edenfield said.
The scam will typically start as a friendship and will originate on social media like Facebook and Instagram before the scammer asks to switch to another messaging platform like Whatsapp, according to Edenfield.
Edenfield said it’s difficult for law enforcement to get the actual content of the messages from Whatsapp, which is why the scammers use it. At some point, the scammer will start to ask for money, according to Edenfield.
The scammers will typically claim they’re on an oil rig, in the military or another occupation overseas to have an excuse to not be able to speak on the phone, Edenfield said. The scammers are also typically from foreign nations, she said.
Edenfield said she has seen cons last for more than a year as the scammer befriends the victim on social media and months later asks for money.
In one instance, Edenfield said, the scammer pretended to be deployed overseas in the military and trying to return to the United States and convinced the victim to send cash via wire transfers, gift cards and Bitcoin ATM.
Edenfield tracked the money to three individuals with three bank accounts who were victims of different scams. One of the other victims thought they had won the Publisher’s Clearing House sweepstakes and another thought they had a warrant for their arrest.
Edenfield said the next accounts the money goes to are called “money mules” before the money goes to other accounts that are probably scam victims until the money eventually gets out of the country.
The aforementioned case involved $70,000, but Edenfield said the dollar amounts for these scams can reach the hundreds of thousands.
Who are the typical victims of romance scams?
The victims of romance scams usually are women, Edenfield said.
“However, I think that’s just who’s reported it,” she said. “I bet there’s a lot more male victims out there than we know about.”
As for the age of the victims, Edenfield said the elderly tend to be most at risk, but she said one victim was in her 30s.
Tips to avoid becoming a victim of a romance scam
Edenfield said the biggest red flag is if you have never talked to the person on the phone.
“Most of these cases we work, I mean, again, I’m 12, 14, 16 months in, and they’ve never talked to the person on the phone, but they’ve sent them 50, 60, 70, $100,000 between gift cards and wire transfers,” Edenfield said.
The other indicators, Edenfield said, can be generic profile and cover photos on the person’s account.
“Don’t send people money if you haven’t sat in front of them,” she said.
The way the person wants you to pay may also be a warning, according to Edenfield.
“If they want you to go buy gift cards, they want you to get cash and put it in a Bitcoin ATM, if they want you to wire funds, that’s always one of the biggest red flags,” she said.
Edenfield said she has even seen scammers ask people to put money in a shoebox and have a courier pick it up.