Identity and verification
Claimed to be deployed, offshore, or suddenly overseas
1 report mentions this, none in the last 90 days.
A soldier on deployment, an engineer on an oil rig, a doctor with the UN, a contractor who just flew out for a job. All of them far away, all of them unable to call, video, or meet. The story explains every gap and sets up every fee.
What it looks like
- 'I'm stationed overseas' or 'I'm on a rig with no signal', usually early on.
- Photos in uniform, often of a real service member whose identity was stolen.
- Rules that conveniently prevent video calls, phone calls, or receiving mail.
- Fees to come home: leave paperwork, transport, a replacement phone, customs on a package.
Why do so many online romance scammers claim to be in the military?
Distance and duty are the perfect cover. They make it noble that they can't meet, plausible that they can't video call, and urgent that they need money to change that. Army investigators say victims are told to pay for 'leave papers', 'special phones', and 'transportation', none of which exist. Even fallen soldiers' photos are used.
What to do
- Know the basics: service members don't pay for leave, don't need you to pay for phones, and can usually video call.
- Search their claimed name with 'scammer', and reverse image search the uniform photos.
- Never send money to someone whose story requires it. If you did, act now.
- The Army's Criminal Investigation Division has a page on this. So does the FTC. Where to report.
More in the tips: Dating and new online friends.
Numbers people reported for this
Top 1 number by reports mentioning this in the last year
Latest reports
Newest first, unverified