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Military romance scams: how to spot a fake soldier

Scammers pose as deployed soldiers and ask for money for leave, flights or communications. Here’s how the scam works and how to check.

One of the most common romance scam scripts is the deployed service member. Scammers steal photos of real soldiers and claim they can’t video call or meet because they are on a mission overseas. The FTC warns specifically about romance scammers posing as military personnel (FTC consumer alert), and US Army CID has warned about social media impersonation of soldier accounts (army.mil).

Common lies

  • They need money to pay for “leave papers”, flights home or a satellite phone.
  • Their pay or bank account is frozen while deployed.
  • They need you to receive a package or “gold” and pay customs fees.
  • A commanding officer or “agent” emails you asking for fees.

The facts

Real service members do not need to pay for leave, and armed forces provide communications and medical care. Any request for money for these is a red flag (US Army CID).

How to check

  1. Reverse image search their photos: stolen soldier photos often turn up under the real person’s name.
  2. Ask for a live video call.
  3. Never send money, gift cards or crypto to someone you haven’t met.
  4. Report impersonation to the platform and to the FTC (ReportFraud.ftc.gov) or your local agency.

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General information only, not legal or financial advice. ImposterWatch is operated by Cloud Investments FZE (UAE) and is not a background check or private investigator service.