New research shows scammers increasingly posing as friends or former partners, blending cybercrime with emotional manipulation and leaving victims uncertain whether the person ever existed.
A growing share of online fraud is no longer driven by technical deception alone but by emotional impersonation, according to new survey research released by ClarityCheck. The findings point to a sharp rise in scams in which perpetrators pose as trusted figures, including close friends, former partners, or long-lost acquaintances, exploiting personal history and emotional vulnerability rather than obvious financial bait.
The ClarityCheck survey, conducted among 1,900+ adults across the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, found that 64% of respondents had encountered a suspicious message or call that appeared to come from someone they knew personally. Among those cases, nearly half involved impersonation of a former romantic partner or close friend, suggesting that fraud is increasingly anchored in emotional familiarity rather than anonymity.
Unlike conventional phishing attempts, these interactions often unfold gradually. Messages reference shared memories, old photos, or fragments of past conversations, creating a sense of continuity and trust. According to ClarityCheck data, 38% of respondents who experienced such impersonation said they initially believed the contact was genuine for several days or longer, even when requests for money or sensitive information eventually followed.
The research highlights a deeper social tension underpinning this trend. More than one-third of participants reported uncertainty about whether the person behind the messages had ever existed at all. In several cases, respondents described realising that what they believed to be a former online relationship or friendship may have been entirely fabricated, maintained over time through evolving digital identities.
“This type of fraud works because it does not feel like fraud,” said Ihor Herasymov, Managing Director of ClarityCheck. “When someone appears to know your emotional history, the usual warning signs are displaced by recognition and trust. The damage is not only financial. It often reshapes how people perceive their past relationships and their own judgment.”
ClarityCheck’s findings suggest that emotional impersonation scams frequently follow periods of vulnerability. Respondents who had recently experienced a breakup, relocation, or prolonged isolation were 52% more likely to engage with a suspicious contact for an extended period. In these cases, scammers relied less on urgency and more on sustained emotional dialogue, sometimes spanning weeks, before introducing financial requests.
The survey also indicates that digital platforms have become fertile ground for what participants described as “ghost relationships.” 41% of respondents said the initial contact occurred on messaging apps or social networks where identity verification is minimal, and profile histories can be easily reconstructed or fabricated. Once contact was established, communication often shifted to private channels, reducing opportunities for third-party scrutiny.
While public awareness campaigns have long focused on recognising fraudulent links or unusual payment requests, ClarityCheck’s research suggests that emotional impersonation operates outside those familiar frameworks. Victims reported feeling embarrassed or reluctant to report incidents, particularly when the scam mirrored a believable personal relationship rather than an obvious crime.
The findings underscore a broader transformation in digital fraud, where social engineering increasingly targets emotional memory as much as technical vulnerability. As online identities become easier to construct and recycle, the boundary between genuine connection and manufactured familiarity continues to blur. For many victims, the final question is no longer whether they were scammed, but whether the connection itself was ever real, or only ever a performance.
About ClarityCheck:
ClarityCheck is an all-in-one background verification tool for phone numbers, emails, and images. Designed for everyday digital safety, ClarityCheck helps users instantly identify unknown contacts, trace suspicious profiles, and check for potential fraud across phone, email, and photo input. By combining reverse lookup and OSINT technologies, it offers a streamlined way to verify identities and protect yourself online.
ClarityCheck is an all-in-one background verification tool for phone numbers, emails, and images. Designed for everyday digital safety, ClarityCheck helps users instantly identify unknown contacts, trace suspicious profiles, and check for potential fraud across phone, email, and photo input. By combining reverse lookup and OSINT technologies, it offers a streamlined way to verify identities and protect yourself online.