What are romance scams?

Romance scammers first aim to win your heart and trust, to make it easier for them to take your money. When you have let your guard down and build a perceived strong rapport and often a romantic connection, this assists the scammer to more easily convince you. Often, romance scams will start online through platforms such as dating sites or apps, or social media sites.

How are romance scams changing or evolving?

The increasing use of AI technology online has made romance scammers and catfishing even harder to detect in recent years. It’s important to be vigilant and learn to recognise some of the warning signs. Although not as common as never meeting them, you may also meet your scammer in person, however very often this person will not be the same person you are talking to online, but a decoy working with the scammer to strengthen their case and convince you the situation is real - before they ask you for money.

Red flags to watch out for:

Be careful of online profile pictures that seem too perfect. Often scammers will use the faces and photos of social media personalities or overseas celebrities, on dating and social media sites and apps. An open-source image search can often tell you if this is the case. Also be aware of the use of AI generated images and videos. If in doubt, do some research.

  • If the person you are speaking to does not live in Australia, this is a sign to be aware of.
  • A reluctance to video chat or meet in person, or saying there’s an issue and they can’t.
  • Asking you for personal information quickly that could be used in a way that helps them leverage if needed (identification information, family information, relationship history or issues in the past as an example).
  • If the person you are talking to seems very “lovey” from the start. Whilst genuine people can also be this way, it’s important to recognise that scammers will often use “love bombing” style techniques to win you over as quickly as possible. Remember, their aim is to target your emotions first and will often target those who appear to be in a more vulnerable emotional state.

  • If the person you are speaking with begins to mention a personal crisis or issue that requires money to solve (common themes are medical, family or country-visa related). These concerns are often urgent and they mention they don’t have the funds to do this themselves – this is a key interaction to be wary of.

 

What to do if you think you OR a family/friend is being scammed:

  • Firstly, tell them (or yourself) not to send the scammer any money, in any form.
  • Encourage them to contact their bank to discuss the situation.
  • Keep any documentation or correspondence they have had with the person, including any identifying information such as email address, phone numbers or bank accounts the person has mentioned to them.
  • Visit scamwatch.gov.au for guidance

How are Queensland Country Bank combating these scams and helping Members?

We give our Members regular updates on scam trends and red flags. Read more on our dedicated fraud and scams page.

Our internal teams collaborate regularly, and education is provided internally to front line staff. We also actively liaise with key industry organisations on a regular basis.

Queensland Country Bank are a proud Member of the Customer Owned Banking Association (COBA), and the Scam-Safe Accord. As a Member-owned bank, customers are at the core of what we do and we are committed to fighting scams and protecting our Members’ money.

Report a scam

If you think you may have been affected by a scam, report it to your local branch or our Contact Centre on 1800 075 078 immediately so we can take steps to protect your accounts further. You should also report it to your local police and phone the ACCC Info Centre direct on 1300 302 502 during normal business hours to report the scam.