We all know that if you receive a message on Facebook from a “Nigerian prince” detailing how much he wants to spoil you, you probably shouldn’t believe a word he says. But the devious thing about scammers is that they’re creative. And they’re always experimenting with new, innovative tactics to take money out of the pockets of those looking for love.

But after one woman in Canada realized the man she was seeing was trying to scam her, she refused to let him get away with it. Below, you’ll find the full story that she recently shared on the ProRevenge subreddit, explaining how she managed to blow up a scammer’s life.

This woman thought she was having a fun, summer fling until the man made an unexpected proposition

Image credits: BM Capture (not the actual photo)

And once she learned his true intentions, she decided to do everything in her power to ruin his life

Image credits: Ivan Samkov (not the actual photo)

Image credits: RDNE Stock project (not the actual photo)

Image credits: Adorable-Work8442

Later, the woman shared a few more details about her situation

Romance scams have become even more common in recent years

Scams, in general, are extremely common, as one in ten adults in the US will fall victim to one every year. It could be a phone call from someone asking for donations, a suspicious link sent to their email address, or a person sliding into their Facebook DMs about an investment opportunity. But one fascinating niche of scams that’s been growing in popularity in recent years is the romance scam. Not unlike the infamous Tinder Swindler, who the world learned about through a 2022 Netflix documentary, romance scammers around the world are ruthless, selfish and brazen. And because these scammers often prey on lonely individuals and hopeless romantics, the pandemic was a feast for them.

While we were all sitting at home trying to avoid contracting COVID-19, the US Federal Trade Commission reports that a record $547 million dollars were stolen through romance scams in 2021, nearly an 80% increase compared to 2020. Romance scams can include fake dating profiles, photo scams (asking targets to send personal information in exchange for intimate photos), military romance scams, intimate activity scams (blackmailing a target with intimate videos or photos after building a relationship with them), sugar daddy scams and more. Men are slightly more likely to fall for romance scams than women, making up 53% of victims in the UK, but unfortunately, no group is immune to these tricks. 

Image credits: Samson Katt (not the actual photo)

Scammers tend to target lonely and vulnerable individuals, but no one is immune

More often than not, romance scams begin online, as scammers usually like to bait victims with attractive profiles as their first step in any scam. Following this, researchers have identified the next four stages of romance scamming as: grooming victims with intimacy, creating a crisis where they desperately need money, manipulating victims with blackmail, and finally, the scam is revealed. And while it might sound ridiculous to fall for someone with ill intentions, especially if we’ve never met them in person, we have to remember that people fall for the wrong partners all the time. Abusive individuals are great at hiding red flags in the beginning of a relationship, and they often use similar tactics to scammers, such as love-bombing, to gain trust.

“These online romances can make people feel as if they have found a knight or woman in shining armor, because they’re getting showered with affection they may not have previously received,” Olivia James, a trauma therapist, told The Guardian. “But this form of attention can be a form of emotional abuse used to control people.” People who are vulnerable, who have recently lost a loved one, are dealing with a difficult breakup or have recently gone through a major life change (such as moving to a new place or starting a new job) are particularly vulnerable to falling for romance scams, forensic psychologist Dr. Joni Johnston shared with Oxygen. One third of victims also fall between the ages of 51 to 60, making them the most susceptible age group.

Image credits: Alexander Dummer (not the actual photo)

The key to preventing these scams is knowing how to protect yourself

So how can we protect ourselves from these scams without closing ourselves off from love altogether? Well, according to Fangzhou Wang, Assistant Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Texas at Arlington, there are a few rules that we should all follow to avoid being scammed. Never share financial information with or send money to strangers or people you’ve only met online. Don’t send them any private photos either. 

Pay attention to the way people message you as well. If there are many spelling and grammar errors or they word things in an awkward way, they might be contacting you from another country. Use image and name-reverse searches to see if their photos are authentic, and open up to your friends and family members if you’re ever suspicious. It’s better to become slightly embarrassed than to lose all of your life savings to a stranger online.

Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)

We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments below, pandas. Do you think this man deserved to have his entire life blown up for trying to scam this woman? Or would you have chosen a different method of revenge? Feel free to share, and then if you’re interested in reading another Bored Panda article calling out scammers online, look no further than right here!  

Many amused readers applauded the woman for her nuclear revenge

However, some thought she went a bit too far

And one reader shared another real-life story of revenge on a scammer

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