Romance scams and sextortion online

Key rules

• Payment: Never pay a blackmailer or send money to someone you have not met.
• Evidence: Keep every message and payment record before you block or delete anything.
• Reporting: Report to the platform and file a denuncia with the police or Guardia Civil.
• Language help: If you do not speak Spanish, you have the right to a free interpreter.

How a romance scam works

A romance scam is a slow plan to get your money. It usually follows these stages:

1. Someone with an attractive profile contacts you on a social network or dating app. They often say they are a soldier, doctor, engineer or expatriate.
2. They show fast affection and soon ask to move to WhatsApp or another private channel.
3. They build trust with daily messages and declarations of love. They avoid video calls and never meet you.
4. A crisis appears: an emergency, a customs fee, a plane ticket, a medical bill or an "investment opportunity".
5. They ask for money again and again, by transfer, gift cards or crypto. The amounts grow.
6. When you stop paying, they threaten you or vanish. Then "recovery" scammers may contact you.

Signs to watch for

• They refuse to video call or meet.
• Their stories do not add up.
• Their photos are stolen. A reverse image search can show this.
• They ask for money, though you have never met.
• They ask you to keep the relationship secret.

How sextortion works

Sextortion is blackmail. Someone threatens to share intimate photos or videos of you unless you pay. It often starts like a romance scam, with a fast, flirty chat that moves to private images.

Do not pay. Paying does not end the demands and usually brings more.

What to do now

1. Stop all contact with the person.
2. Do not delete anything yet. Keep screenshots of messages, profile addresses, payment details and dates.
3. Report the account to the platform and block it. Reporting also helps get images taken down.
4. Secure your accounts and change your passwords.
5. File a denuncia (a formal police report).

For free, confidential advice, you can call the 017 line run by the national cybersecurity institute.

If the victim is a minor, tell a trusted adult and report it at once. The police and the data protection agency's priority channel can help remove intimate content.

Where to report

You can file a denuncia in person at any Policía Nacional station or Guardia Civil post. Many are open 24 hours. You can also go to the juzgado de guardia, the duty court.

Online options exist too. The Policía Nacional has an online pre-denuncia for some offences, including fraud. You must confirm it in person at a station, with ID, within a set period. The Guardia Civil has an online channel for cyber-fraud.

At the station, state the facts, hand over your evidence and ask for a copy of the denuncia with its number.

If you do not speak Spanish

You have the right to a free interpreter, to translation of key documents, and to a receipt in a language you understand. In tourist areas, the Policía Nacional also runs a service for foreign visitors with multilingual staff.

Only report what really happened. A false report is an offence.

The documents list, checklist, warnings and questions below cover the rest.

Documents you need

• Your ID, NIE or passport, to show who you are when you file the denuncia.

• Your evidence: screenshots, messages, profile addresses, payment details and dates, kept as they are.

• If you started a pre-denuncia online, the confirmation you received, to bring to the station.

• The copy of your denuncia with its number, which you ask for before leaving, in a language you understand if you need it.

Checklist

• Stop all contact with the person who is asking for money or threatening you.

• Keep everything: take screenshots of messages, profiles and payment details, and do not delete anything yet.

• Run the profile photos through a reverse image search to see if they are stolen.

• File a denuncia at a Policía Nacional station, a Guardia Civil post or the juzgado de guardia, or start one online.

• Bring your ID, NIE or passport and your evidence, and ask for a copy of the denuncia with its number.

• Ask for a free interpreter if you do not speak Spanish well.

What to watch out for

• Money requests from someone you have never met: A new love interest who avoids video calls and then asks for money for an emergency, a customs fee, a ticket or an investment is a classic romance scam, and the demands usually grow. Stop contact and do not send money, including by transfer, gift cards or crypto. Ask for a video call, check their photos with a reverse image search, and keep the messages in case you need to report.

• Paying a blackmailer: Paying someone who threatens to share intimate images does not stop the demands and usually brings more. Stop communicating with them and keep the evidence. Block the account, report it to the platform and file a denuncia with the police.

• Recovery scammers: After a scam, people may contact you offering to get your money back. These are often the same fraudsters trying again. Do not pay anyone who contacts you first. Report the contact in your denuncia.

• Relying on an online report alone: An online pre-denuncia is not available for every crime and must be confirmed in person. If you skip the confirmation, your report may not go ahead. Go to a station with your ID within the set period and ask for a copy with its number.

Frequently asked questions

Can I report a romance scam online without going to a police station?

Partly: the Policía Nacional has an online pre-denuncia for some offences including fraud, but you must confirm it in person at a station with your ID within a set period. The Guardia Civil has a separate online channel for cyber-fraud. Not every crime can be started online, so check before relying on it.

What can I do if I don't speak Spanish when I file a denuncia?

You have the right to a free interpreter and a translation of key documents when you file a denuncia. You can also ask for your receipt in a language you understand.

Should I delete the chat and the photos after a sextortion threat?

No, do not delete anything yet, because the messages, profile addresses and payment details are your evidence. Take screenshots, then block the account and report it to the platform. If the victim is a minor, tell a trusted adult and report straight away, and the police can help get intimate content removed.

What happens if I pay a sextortion blackmailer once?

Paying does not stop the demands and usually leads to more. Stop all contact, keep your evidence and file a denuncia instead.