Getting Personal

A young man sits by the window on a city bus at night, smiling at his phone; small heart and chat bubble shapes float above the screen.

A new connection on a dating app. A message from a stranger who got the wrong number. A friendly investor in a WhatsApp group. Weeks pass. The relationship grows. Then, almost as an aside, comes an investment tip. A platform. An opportunity.

Investment fraud and romance-based financial manipulation are treated together in this module because they share the same structure. Trust comes first. The financial request comes later. Often much later. In 2025, investment scams caused $8.6 billion in reported losses in the US. You will learn how they work, and what to look for before they reach that point.