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Reading time: about 7 minutes │ Topic: Romance fraud, pig butchering, long-cons │ Sources: Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, RCMP, Toronto Police Service, CBC News
Why romance scams matter
Why romance scams matter
A romance scam happens when a fraudster pretends to form a romantic or close emotional relationship online in order to steal money, financial information, or assets from the victim. The CAFC, RCMP, and provincial police forces classify romance fraud as one of the highest-loss fraud categories in Canada year after year. [1]
In 2024, Canadians reported $58 million in romance scam losses to the CAFC, with 1,030 confirmed victims. This was up from $22.5 million in 2018 a near-tripling in only six years. In 2025, reported losses climbed again to approximately $63 million. [2] [3]
The CAFC estimates that only 5 to 10 percent of victims ever report a romance scam, mainly because of shame and stigma. The real losses are likely many times higher. [1]
How the scam unfolds
How the scam unfolds
Richmond RCMP and the CAFC describe romance scams as "long-con scams" that are carefully staged in three phases: [4]
Contact: initiated through dating apps, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, or even direct messages from a "wrong number" text.
Grooming: weeks or months of constant attention, flattery, and apparent emotional connection. Scammers often claim to work overseas (oil rigs, military deployment, international medicine) so they can never meet in person.
Extraction: a sudden emergency (medical bill, customs fee, business loss) or a "guaranteed" investment opportunity. Money is requested through wire transfer, e-Transfer, gift cards, or cryptocurrency all of which are very difficult to recover.
Romance scams that become real relationships and marriages
Romance scams that become real relationships and marriages
Not all romance scams stay online. Canadian police have documented cases where victims entered serious relationships, common-law partnerships, and even marriages with someone whose true intention was to drain their finances. Common patterns include:
A partner who pressures the victim to add them to bank accounts, credit cards, or property titles, but is unwilling to combine finances transparently the other way.
Sudden access to home equity lines of credit, refinancing of the family home, or large loans taken in the victim's name.
Disappearance of the partner once a major asset (house sale, inheritance, retirement payout) has been liquidated.
Toronto Police, in early 2026, made arrests in a $250,000 case and publicly stated: "Romance scams are not about poor judgment. They are highly organized, deliberate frauds that rely on social engineering and play on emotion." [3]
A REAL CANADIAN CASE
In 2025 a Calgary woman lost more than $300,000 to a romance scammer she met online. Her case is one of more than 1,000 Canadian romance fraud victims reported to the CAFC in 2024 alone. The CAFC notes that 90 to 95 percent of victims never report the crime due to shame and stigma. [5]A REAL CANADIAN CASE
Pig butchering: romance plus fake investment
Pig butchering: romance plus fake investment
A specific and rapidly growing variant is the pig butchering scam. The CAFC and the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) issued a joint national warning in 2024. The fraudster builds romantic or friendly trust, then introduces what looks like a successful cryptocurrency or forex investment. Victims see fake gains on a slick-looking platform, deposit more, and lose everything when the platform vanishes. [6]
A specific and rapidly growing variant is the pig butchering scam. The CAFC and the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) issued a joint national warning in 2024. The fraudster builds romantic or friendly trust, then introduces what looks like a successful cryptocurrency or forex investment. Victims see fake gains on a slick-looking platform, deposit more, and lose everything when the platform vanishes. [6]
Other financial crimes connected to romance scams
Other financial crimes connected to romance scams
Beyond pig butchering, romance scams often involve two other financial crimes recognized by the CAFC.
Beyond pig butchering, romance scams often involve two other financial crimes recognized by the CAFC.
- Authorized Push Payment (APP) Fraud: almost every romance scam ends in this crime. The victim is tricked into voluntarily transferring money to the fraudster, often by e‑Transfer, wire, gift card, or cryptocurrency, believing they are helping a real partner with a real emergency. Because the victim authorized the transfer, banks rarely reverse it, and cryptocurrency transfers are essentially impossible to claw back.
- Mule Account Fraud: romance scammers sometimes recruit (or trick) their victims into receiving and forwarding money for them. For example, asking them to “just hold” a payment from a business partner and then send it on. The victim’s bank account becomes a mule account moving illegal money, and the victim may face criminal charges even if they did not know the money was stolen.
When the goal is status, not money
When the goal is status, not money
Some romance scams are not after a victim's money at all. They are after Canadian permanent residence. In a marriage of convenience, the fraudster builds a convincing relationship, marries a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, and disappears once their immigration status is approved. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) warns that this is a crime under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act: someone who marries solely to gain entry to Canada can be removed and banned from the country for five years. [9]
Some romance scams are not after a victim's money at all. They are after Canadian permanent residence. In a marriage of convenience, the fraudster builds a convincing relationship, marries a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, and disappears once their immigration status is approved. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) warns that this is a crime under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act: someone who marries solely to gain entry to Canada can be removed and banned from the country for five years. [9]
Warning Signs
Warning Signs
The CAFC, RCMP, and Toronto Police describe these red flags for romance fraud: [1] [3] [4]
RED FLAGS TO WATCH FOR:
The relationship escalates very quickly, declarations of love within days or weeks.
They always have a reason they cannot video call, or video calls look "off" (a sign of deepfake or pre-recorded clips).
They claim wealth or success but also have a sudden financial emergency.
They steer conversation toward investments, especially crypto or forex.
Requests for money in forms that are hard to reverse: wire, e-Transfer, gift cards, cryptocurrency.
Pressure to keep the relationship secret from family or friends.
Pressure to take out loans, refinance the home, or co-sign for them.
A new partner who wants to be added to bank accounts, credit cards, or property titles unusually fast.
Another Example
Another Example
In 2025 a Toronto man named Hugo Sanchez lost $80,000 to a romance scammer he met on social media after his marriage ended. He told CTV News he was "at an emotional low point" when he went online looking for companionship. "I was very vulnerable and I was not in my best stage." [7]
In 2025 a Toronto man named Hugo Sanchez lost $80,000 to a romance scammer he met on social media after his marriage ended. He told CTV News he was "at an emotional low point" when he went online looking for companionship. "I was very vulnerable and I was not in my best stage." [7]
He thought he had found his soulmate in a woman called "Lina" who claimed to live in Seattle. The scammer built trust over weeks before introducing requests for money. The CAFC outreach officer Jeff Horncastle told the same outlet that 778 Canadians had already lost over $54.6 million to romance scams in that year alone. [7]
He thought he had found his soulmate in a woman called "Lina" who claimed to live in Seattle. The scammer built trust over weeks before introducing requests for money. The CAFC outreach officer Jeff Horncastle told the same outlet that 778 Canadians had already lost over $54.6 million to romance scams in that year alone. [7]
What To Do
What To Do
The CAFC and RCMP recommend the following: [1] [4]
Stop sending money immediately. Do not believe promises that "one more payment" will release a big return.
Save all messages, screenshots, profiles, and payment records.
Contact your bank or credit union right away. Some transfers may still be reversible.
Report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca.
Report to your local police service.
Report the scammer's profile to the platform where you met them.
Beware of recovery scams: fake lawyers, RCMP officers, or "fund recovery agents" who target previous victims and ask for fees to recover the stolen money. This is always a second scam. [8]
REMEMBER THIS (TORONTO POLICE SERVICE)
REMEMBER THIS (TORONTO POLICE SERVICE)
"Romance scams are not about poor judgment. They are highly organized, deliberate frauds that rely on social engineering and play on emotion." If it has happened to you, you are not alone, and it is not your fault. The most important step is to stop, report, and reach out for support. [3]
References
[1] RCMP, Just the facts: romance scams (RCMP Gazette). https://rcmp.ca/en/gazette/just-facts-romance-scams
[2] CBC News, Red flags for romance scams that Ontario police want you to know about, February 12, 2025. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/romance-scam-signs-1.7457386
[3] CBC News and Toronto Police Service, Mississauga man, woman arrested for $250K romance scam, February 16, 2026. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/romance-scams-toronto-arrest-9.7090487
[4] Richmond RCMP, Richmond RCMP warns of escalating online romance and investment scams, March 26, 2024. https://bc-cb.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=2122&languageId=1&contentId=83506
[5] CBC News, Romance scam costs Calgary woman over $300K, August 4, 2025. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/romance-scam-calgary-woman-1.7600484
[6] Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, Warning on crypto and romance frauds, May 28, 2024. https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/news-nouvelles/2024/2024-05-28-eng.htm
[7] BNN Bloomberg / CTV News Toronto, Toronto man loses $80,000 to romance scam, October 10, 2025. https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/business/2025/10/10/toronto-man-loses-80000-to-romance-scam-as-advocates-call-for-more-fraud-protection/
[8] Money.ca (citing CAFC), Elderly man lost US$1 million to a romance scam — what Canadians need to know about recovery fraud, 2026. https://money.ca/news/canada-recovery-fraud-romance-scam-elderly-victims
[9] Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (Government of Canada), Protect yourself from marriage fraud. https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/protect-fraud/marriage-fraud.html
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