"It's fine to have a relationship on chat lines , but you should really get to know people in person, so that you know they actually exist number one and that they are who they say they are. The biggest flag, obviously, is that if you've got into a relationship online and the person suddenly needs money, that should be a huge indicator that there's something wrong." said Lethbridge Regional Police Sergeant Christy Woods.

LRPS said they can often search for scammers internationally, as long as it is with a cooperating country. They hope, though, to prevent the issue from happening in the first place.

Woods adds scammers often lie about their gender, age or where they live. She said anyone can be vunerable and the fraudesters are good at making victims feel cared about.