With the hopes of finding that special someone, humans across the world rely on social media and dating apps to find the one. And sometimes, singles looking for love stumble upon someone that sounds too good to be true. It could just be the beginning of a fairytale romance, or the beginning of a romance scam.

Officials said that scammers target those looking for love online or people they court, building the illusion of a deep connection to then take advantage of the person, usually for financial gain, benefitting the scammer and the scammer’s network.