My Photos Are Being Used in a Romance Scam
Discovering that your photos are being used to defraud strangers is deeply distressing. You can use the results to find where your face appears online.
Romance scammers steal photos from social media profiles and dating apps to create convincing false identities. They use these identities to build emotional connections with victims before requesting money. You, as the person whose photos were stolen, have no involvement in the fraud, but you may face anger from scam victims who blame the face they saw online.
Identifying where your photos are being used is crucial. ScanErase's biometric scanning covers dating apps, social media platforms, and other sites where romance scam profiles commonly appear. Once identified, you can act on the results and report any impersonation yourself.
You should also report the scam to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3.gov). These agencies track romance scam operations and your report may help identify the perpetrators. If you have been contacted by scam victims, point them to IC3.gov as well.
What to do right now
- Run a biometric scan to find scam profilesScanErase identifies locations where your likeness is being used across dating platforms and social networks.
- Unlock your full exposure reportGain access to the complete results revealing where your face appears.
- Report impersonation profiles to each platformUse each platform's impersonation reporting process for non-intimate photos. ScanErase identifies which platforms are involved.
- Report to the FTC and FBIFile reports at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and IC3.gov. Include the platforms and profile URLs where your photos appear.
- Monitor for new profilesRomance scammers create new profiles quickly. ScanErase can run periodic rescans to help you find new uses of your likeness.
Common questions
Am I legally responsible for scams conducted using my photos?
No. You bear no legal responsibility for fraud committed by someone using your stolen photos. You are a victim of identity theft in this situation.
Scam victims are contacting me and accusing me of fraud. What do I do?
Explain that your photos were stolen and used without your knowledge. Point them to IC3.gov to report the scam. Keep your own records of these contacts as evidence of the harm caused to you.
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