Online romance fraud has increasingly moved from crude phishing attempts to sophisticated, long-term deceptions where bad actors spend weeks or months grooming victims before initiating financial demands.

To counter this evolving threat across Indian digital platforms, Match Group—parent company to Tinder, Hinge, and The League—has partnered with the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), an initiative under the Ministry of Home Affairs, to roll out a nationwide awareness campaign addressing romance scams.

Announced at the second edition of the Trust and Safety India (TASI) Festival in New Delhi, the initiative delivers tailored safety advisories directly within dating apps to help daters identify manipulative tactics, verify connections, and safeguard their finances.

Drawing on behavioural patterns identified by platform safety teams and law enforcement, the campaign highlights five core warning signs users should watch for:

A match who immediately insists on moving the conversation to private messaging apps—while repeatedly evading video calls or in-person meetings—is often attempting to bypass in-app safety filters and monitoring systems. Platforms recommend keeping conversations within the app until verified trust is established.

Fraudulent accounts frequently rely on stolen photographs. Daters are advised to look for built-in profile verification indicators, such as photo verification badges, and schedule a brief video call prior to meeting offline to ensure the individual matches their digital persona.

Romance scams increasingly overlap with financial fraud, where a romantic interest begins offering "insider tips" on cryptocurrency, high-yield trading, or rapid-return investment schemes. Tech and law enforcement guidelines advise treating any discussion of money-making opportunities from an online match as an immediate reason to unmatch.

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