Is This a Scam? Red Flags Checklist™

This scam checklist gives you 20 red flags to work through honestly. Tick the ones that match your situation. Get a risk score out of 20. Know exactly what to do next.

Something felt off and you could not explain it. Maybe you met someone online and things moved faster than they should. Maybe a friend or family member raised a concern. Maybe money has already come up and the story does not quite hold together. This scam checklist was built for that moment.

Twenty red flags across five categories. The tool counts your ticks and gives you a verdict. Zero flags means nothing alarming. Thirteen or more means this matches the profile of an organised criminal operation and you need to act now.

The flags come from FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center reporting and FTC fraud data from 2024 and 2025. In 2024 alone, 17,910 people reported romance scams to the FBI with total losses of $672 million. In 2025 those losses rose another 48%. The people running these scams are professionals. They do this every day to hundreds of people at once. Knowing what they actually do is the most effective protection.

The five categories cover everything that matters. The first looks at who they are and whether their identity holds up to a basic check. The second covers how they communicate and whether the pattern matches known grooming behaviour. The third examines their story and whether the details add up. The fourth is the most serious and covers money, requests, and pressure. The fifth asks you to be honest about what your gut has been telling you and whether you have already ignored a warning sign.

Each flag in this scam checklist comes with a practical tip. Flag five tells you exactly how to run a reverse image search using Google Images, TinEye, and Yandex to check whether a profile photo is stolen. Flag eight explains how to test whether a video call is real using a simple physical prompt. Flag sixteen explains how fake trading platforms work and why they show profits before taking everything.

If your score is high, the results screen tells you what to do. Stop contact. Do not send more money. Call your bank immediately if funds have already moved. Report to the FBI at ic3.gov and the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. Keep every message, photo, and payment record. Tell someone you trust.

If you want a professional to find out who you are actually speaking to, our Personal Investigation Service traces identities and verifies claims confidentially. You can read more and book the service here.

Two files come in the download. The HTML version opens in any browser and scores your situation live as you tick. The PDF is a printable version with all 20 flags on page one and the full score guide on page two.

Also free from Tech Mentor Pro: our New Laptop Setup Checklist covers how to secure a new device from day one. Our WiFi Not Working Fix Guide covers every common connection problem with step by step fixes. The FBI publishes its own guidance on romance scams at ic3.gov including how to report and what evidence to keep.

No software to install. No account needed. Nothing stored. Nothing shared. Use this scam checklist now and know where you stand.