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The Australian Federal Police wants Australians to read the script, which includes a full backstory, a daily timeline, and a hoax cryptocurrency scheme.
Cyber Daily only just published a guide to spotting Valentine’s Day scams, and now, the Australian Federal Police – alongside the National Anti-Scam Centre (NASC), the Philippine Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission, and the National Bureau of Investigation – has released a real-life script used by romance scammers to trick victims out of their hard-earned money.
The script was recovered from a large-scale scam operation in the Philippines, which was taken down in November 2024 in a joint operation between Australian and Philippine authorities as part of Operation Firestorm.
Following the police operation, the NASC contacted more than 5,000 Australians who were thought to have been targeted by the romance scam operation.
“The AFP worked closely with our partners, the National Anti-Scam Centre and Philippines Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission and the National Bureau of Investigation, to ensure Australians targeted by this malicious scam were identified and given advice to help protect themselves online,” AFP Commander Cybercrime Operations Graeme Marshall said in a statement.
“We urge anyone who received a text message warning from the National Anti-Scam Centre to take it very seriously and refrain from sending money to people you’ve met online.
“If you have already sent someone money or cryptocurrency, please report it to your bank immediately, then to police via ReportCyber. To help others avoid similar scams, you can also report it to ScamWatch.”
The script is broken down into daily interactions that prompt the scammer to ask personal questions of their victim while revealing they’ve recently gone through a tragic break-up. The script features highly emotive language to take advantage of victims and presents the scammer as someone with a “sideline” investing in cryptocurrency.
Once a rapport has been built, on about the third or fourth day of communication, the scammer tells their victim that for a minimum of $500, they can get into the scheme.
“Well, you can just start a minimum amount of $500 so that you will gonna know how to process it,” the script said.
“I will gonna teach you everything, but you need to be patient.”
Commander Marshall said: “If you are talking to someone you’ve met online, do your research and make sure they are genuine.
“Look them up on Google, perform a reverse image search on their profile picture, or ask to meet them in person or via video call. More importantly, never send money to people you’ve met online.”
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission deputy chair Catriona Lowe said that Australians lost $23.6 million to romance scams in 2024.
“Romance scammers gain the victim’s trust over time and then exploit it, often persuading them to invest large sums of money. The consequences can be devastating both financially and emotionally,” Lowe said.
“We urge people to stay vigilant and verify any investment opportunities via credible sources such as through an Australian registered financial advisor.”
What to do if you’re a victim of a scam
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.
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