«If my friends knew, they'd say I'm crazy. Eight years believing a man loved me, when he never even existed.»
Madeleine · France
Platform
Facebook
Duration
8 years
Loss
240,000 €
Don't fall for the trap
Check a suspicious profile in 2 minutes
Free tools, expert guides and professional support to protect yourself from romance scams.
They already trusted us
Stock photos.
9:41📶 🔋
Anastasia
online
My love, I think of you every second 💕
We only met yesterday 😅
I have an urgent problem… can you send me €2,000?
Can we video call first?
Sorry, my camera is broken 😢
Of course your camera is broken.
Anastasia blocked you
iMessage
↑
$1.2 billion lost in 2024Reported losses in the US (FTC)
60,000+ reports in 2024Romance scam reports filed (FTC)
20% increase in Q1 2025Year-over-year rise (Barclays)
Spot a scam
The 40 techniques scammers use, their red flags, and how to detect them before it's too late.
Understand the playbook
Practical guides and real case studies: love bombing, pig butchering, deepfakes, fake military, fake matchmaking agencies.
Get a profile checked
Written diagnostic (€89) or strategic consultation (€249) if you have doubts or have been targeted.
Practical guides
View all practical guides →
Case Studies
Romance scam statistics 2025-2026: global data and trends
FTC reports $1.2 billion lost in 2024, FBI IC3 logged 17,900 victims. Comprehensive data on romance fraud across the US, UK, Australia and globally.
12 min read
Practical Guides
How to spot a romance scammer in 2026: 12 red flags
From love bombing to scripted messages, these 12 red flags are present in nearly every romance scam. A detailed guide with real examples and expert advice.
15 min read
Practical Guides
What to do if you've been scammed: step-by-step recovery guide
Immediate steps after discovering a romance scam: stop contact, preserve evidence, report to FBI IC3 and FTC, contact your bank, and begin recovery.
13 min read
Testimonials
Three stories, over €1.1 million lost.
«He sent me videos where he spoke to me directly. How could I imagine it was all machine-generated?»
Anne · France
Platform
Instagram / Facebook
Duration
18 months
Loss
830,000 €
«A simple text "sorry, wrong number" was all it took. Four months later, I'd lost €85,000 on a fake trading platform.»
Thomas · Belgium
Platform
WhatsApp (initial SMS)
Duration
4 months
Loss
85,000 €
Need an expert opinion?
Get your situation analysed by a romance scam specialist.
Written Diagnostic
€89excl. VAT
A clear, structured expert opinion delivered by email within 48h.
- Structured questionnaire to fill out
- Expert analysis of scam signals and profile verification
- Personalized report with clear verdict and recommendations
- 1 follow-up email exchange
- Delivery within 48h
Recommended
Strategic Consultation
€249excl. VAT
A 1-hour video session to analyze your situation in depth.
- Full Written Diagnostic included
- 1-hour video session with a specialist
- Live analysis of your situation
- Written personalized action plan
- 2 weeks of email follow-up
Who’s behind arnaques-rencontres.fr?
Valentin Le Normand — Moscou
My name is Valentin Le Normand. I'm a French entrepreneur based in Moscow, founder of Agence Valentin — a matrimonial agency specialising in Franco-Slavic matchmaking.
For years, I've watched men get scammed by fake profiles, dishonest agencies, and well-organised fraud. This site exists to put a stop to that.
Everything published here is based on real cases, analysed correspondence, and ten years of experience in international dating. I also run the international matchmaking agency valentin.love, which gives me unique field-level insight into how romance scams operate.