Romance Scam Prevention Act: Dating Apps Must Now Warn Users

Imagine chatting with someone for three weeks, then finding out the app banned his account for fraud and never told you.

Until now, that was normal. A dating service could remove a scammer quietly, and the people he had already talked to were left to find out on their own, usually after they had sent money.

The United States just changed that. President Trump signed the Romance Scam Prevention Act in October 2026, and ICIJ's report lays out what it demands.

What the law actually says

• When a dating service bans an account for fraud, it has to notify users who received messages from that account. The notice is generally due within 24 hours.
• The message must name the banned account and show when the user last wrote to it.
• It has to warn that the person may have used a false identity or tried to defraud users, tell people not to send cash or financial details, and point to fraud resources and customer service.
• The Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general will enforce it, and it takes effect a year after signing.

The Senate passed it unanimously in late September. Representative David Valadao sponsored it in the House, with Senators Marsha Blackburn and John Hickenlooper behind the Senate version.

Why Nigerians should care

It is an American law, so it doesn't bind any app in Lagos or Kano. But dating scams are a global business and Nigerian users sit on both ends of it. Some are victims. And a lot of honest Nigerians get treated like suspects abroad because of the few who do it.

When a big market sets a rule like this, apps everywhere tend to follow, because they don't want two different safety systems. Expect people to start asking, "will you tell me if I was talking to a fraudster?" Good platforms already should.

Don't wait for the law, use your own radar

The warning signs haven't changed, and they work on any app.

• He or she asks for money, airtime, gift cards or crypto. Any amount.
• There's always a reason the camera can't come on.
• The photos look like a magazine shoot.
• Details shift. First he's in Abuja, then Dubai, then on an oil rig.
• They want to leave the app within days.
• Love arrives before you've even met.

If two or more show up, stop. Our full list of fake profile warning signs goes through each one.

What MyPerson does

We can't promise a scammer will never sign up. We can make it harder and make you harder to fool. Members can verify with a selfie and National ID. Photos are checked before they show. Look alike and duplicate sign ups are flagged. Block and report are two taps, and the team can warn, suspend or ban. Voice and video calls are free, so confirming someone is real costs you nothing.

Read the rest on the safety page.

If you already sent money

Stop all contact. Save every chat and every payment receipt. Report the account to the app and file a report with the police or the relevant fraud agency where you live. And please don't send more money to anyone promising to "recover" the first. That is a second scam and it targets people in exactly your position.