If you’ve lost money to a romance scam, you’re not alone, and you may be able to get your money back with the right help.
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Romance scams, also known as dating scams, catfish scams or romance baiting, are a growing type of fraud where someone pretends to be in a relationship with you to gain your trust and steal your money.
These scams usually begin online through dating apps like Tinder, Hinge or Plenty of Fish, or on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. Scammers often use fake profiles, sometimes stealing photos or pretending to be celebrities, and will send friendly or flirty messages to start a conversation. Once contact is made, they work quickly to build an emotional connection — messaging you regularly, offering compliments, and even talking about a future together.
Their aim is to gain your confidence, so they can ask for money under false pretences. These requests are often tied to emotional or urgent stories, like a family emergency, travel problems, a frozen bank account, or a promising investment opportunity. Whether the pressure is subtle or intense, the end goal is always financial gain — leaving victims emotionally hurt and financially out of pocket.
There are relatively few relationships that don’t begin online these days. Online dating is the norm — but there are simple ways to protect yourself.
Scammers often use fake or stolen images. Their profiles may feel vague, too perfect, or inconsistent. A reverse image search can reveal if their photos appear elsewhere.
Many catfish scams involve someone claiming to work abroad - in the military, on oil rigs, or in international business. This helps explain why they can’t meet in person and sets up excuses to ask for money later.
Avoiding video calls can be a red flag. While poor internet or shyness are sometimes genuine, repeated excuses should be taken seriously.
All romance scams eventually lead to a money request. It may start small, then grow over time. Look out for messages like: • “I need your help just this once.” • “I’ll pay you back as soon as I can.” • “You’re the only person I can trust.” These messages are crafted to make you feel guilty or responsible. They often use emotional language involving sick relatives, lost passports, or investment opportunities to get you to send money.
Some dating romance scams involve investment fraud. The scammer may build emotional trust, then suggest investing in cryptocurrency or online trading platforms. These are fake, simply designed to steal your money.
Fraudsters build an emotional bond, then slowly convince the victim to invest money. Once they’ve taken as much as they can, they vanish. The term “pig butchering” is what scammers call it, but we prefer “romance baiting,” because it rightly puts the blame on them.
In these scams, fraudsters pretend to be celebrities using fake or secret accounts. They may target fans with friendly messages and, over time, start asking for money, often using excuses like losing access to their accounts or needing help with a personal emergency.
These scams involve fraudsters claiming to be professionals stuck overseas, in the armed forces, on oil rigs, or in high-level business roles. They may seem reliable at first, but eventually say they need help with travel, documents or urgent financial issues.
Romance scammers use a variety of tactics to make contact, often appearing on familiar platforms like Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, and Plenty of Fish. Social media sites, including Facebook, Instagram, and even LinkedIn, are also commonly used.
They create fake dating and social media profiles with stolen or AI-generated photos to appear attractive and trustworthy. These scammers may send out mass messages hoping to catch someone vulnerable, or take time to research individuals and personalise their approach.
Once they’ve made contact, they quickly work to gain your trust. From there, they craft emotional stories, involving emergencies, investment scams, or promises of a future together, all designed to manipulate you into sending money.
If you’ve been affected by a romance scam, report it promptly to your bank and the police. At CEL Solicitors, we specialise in helping victims recover money lost to romance scams. If your bank declines to assist, we’re ready to step in.
We’ve supported thousands across the UK to reclaim funds lost to romance fraud, offering care, empathy, and expert legal help throughout. Just Tell CEL.
Speak to our friendly team today. You are not alone, and you may have a case.
At CEL Solicitors, we have a dedicated team of financial recovery experts who specialise in helping clients recover money lost to scammers.
We carefully review all the financial transactions related to your case. If we find that a financial institution could have done more to protect you from fraud, we will make a formal complaint on your behalf and seek compensation.
If the scammer can be identified and has assets, we can also take legal action against them to recover your money.
While every case is different and recovery is not always guaranteed, we are relentless in supporting you to get the best possible outcome.
Yes, we can help trace and recover money lost to cryptocurrency scams.
Our experts use specialised software called Chainalysis Reactor to follow the trail of cryptocurrency transactions on the blockchain. This helps us identify where the funds have gone, often to a crypto asset exchange provider, so we can work on recovering them for you.
Yes, you can contact your bank or financial institution directly to try to recover your money. If you’re unhappy with their response, you have the right to make a formal complaint.
However, if you choose to work with us, we bring technical knowledge and legal expertise to give you the best chance of success. We’ll handle the complex steps for you and can represent you if the case needs to go to court.
You’re not alone in this — we’re here to guide and support you every step of the way.
No, we work on a no-win, no-fee basis. If we are unsuccessful in recovering your money then you won’t pay us a penny. We also offer free initial, no-obligation advice so you have nothing to lose by getting in touch with one of our friendly advisors today. We can start working on your case as soon as you formally instruct us, and our paperwork has been signed. Additionally, you have a 14-day cooling-off period, after you’ve signed our initial documents if you change your mind.
When you’re dealing with a legal issue, whether it’s a scam, a housing dispute, or a case of professional negligence, it’s important to know you’re in safe hands.
We understand that many of our clients come to us after being misled, mistreated, or let down. It’s only natural to feel cautious when choosing a law firm to support you.
CEL Solicitors is a fully regulated law firm. We don’t ask for any upfront payments, and we work on a no-win, no-fee basis wherever possible, meaning you won’t pay us a penny unless your claim is successful.
You can confirm that CEL Solicitors is genuine by checking our credentials:
We are authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). Our SRA number is 633955.
CEL Solicitors is a trading name of Cheshire Estate and Legal Limited (company number: 10370954).
You’ll find us listed on the SRA’s official Solicitors Register – just click the SRA badge at the bottom of this page or visit the SRA website.
We’re also listed on the Law Society’s ‘Find a Solicitor’ tool. This is a free and trusted way to check legal professionals.
If you’re ever unsure, just tell CEL. We’ll help you verify everything for yourself.
We use a variety of approaches to help recover your money, tailored to your specific case.
First, we investigate whether the financial institution involved could have done more to detect or prevent the fraud. If so, we make a formal complaint and seek compensation from them.
If the scammer can be identified and has assets, we can take legal action to recover funds directly from them.
To support this, we work with specialist forensic accountants who trace where the money has gone. We also have a trusted network of law firms around the world to help recover funds hidden offshore or in other countries.
Our team is committed to pursuing every possible avenue to get your money back.
“No-win, no-fee” means you won’t pay us anything unless we win your case.
There are no upfront costs and no hidden charges. If your claim is unsuccessful, you won’t owe us a penny. If we win, our fees will be taken from the compensation we recover for you — and we’ll explain all of this clearly before you sign anything.
It’s a simple promise: if you don’t win, you don’t pay.
It’s common to feel responsible if you authorised a payment that turned out to be fraudulent. You might think there’s nothing you can do, especially if your bank has refused to refund you.
But don’t lose hope. We specialise in the financial rules, regulations, codes of conduct, and legal processes that can help challenge those decisions and recover your money.
Our expertise is why our fraud recovery success rate is so high — and why many clients who initially thought they had no options have been able to get their money back.
If you’re worried about fault, just tell CEL. We’ll guide you through your options with care and honesty.
At CEL Solicitors, we help clients recover money lost to a wide range of Authorised Push Payment (APP) frauds. These scams trick you into authorising payments to fraudsters, often through highly convincing stories or pressure tactics. Common types include:
Investment scams: Promises of high returns through trading, cryptocurrency, or other ‘opportunities’ that turn out to be fake.
Impersonation scams: Fraudsters posing as trusted organisations like banks, the police, HMRC, or utility companies to get you to send money.
Romance scams: Scammers build trust by pretending to be a romantic partner, often overseas, before asking for financial help.
Crypto scams: Fake cryptocurrency investments or exchanges designed to steal your funds.
Advanced fee fraud: Requests for upfront fees to release non-existent loans, prizes, or inheritances.
Purchase scams: Payment for goods or services that never arrive, such as vehicles or electronics.
Invoice scams: Fake or altered invoices sent to businesses or individuals to divert payments.
Job scams: Fraudulent job offers requiring you to pay fees or provide money upfront.
If you’ve been targeted by any of these scams or similar ones, you’re not alone — and we’re here to help you take back control and recover what you’ve lost.
Get in touch now to see how we can help you recover from fraud.