I Was a Single Mom. Every Dollar Mattered. That's Why I Built This.

When you're raising kids on one income, money isn't just money. It's the rent. It's the groceries. It's the light bill and the school supplies and the gas to get to work tomorrow. There's no backup plan, no second paycheck walking through the door. When something goes wrong financially, you feel it immediately — and so do your kids.

I was that single mom. I know what it means to stretch every dollar and guard every cent because there is no margin for error. Losing money to a scam wasn't some abstract fear for me — it was the kind of thing that could unravel everything I was holding together.

That experience is why I created ScamSecurityCheck.com. I wanted to build something that gives women the power to protect themselves — a free tool that takes the guesswork out of "is this a scam?" so no woman has to lose money she can't afford to lose.

Because here's what I've learned: scammers don't target the careless. They target the busy, the trusting, the overwhelmed — women juggling a hundred responsibilities who don't have time to analyze every message, every email, every link that lands in their inbox. They target mothers whose first instinct is to help when someone says a family member is in trouble. They target women who are looking for connection after years of putting everyone else first.

This guide is for all of you. Whether you're a single mom like I was, a woman starting over, or someone who just wants to make sure the women in her life stay safe — this is how you keep your power and your money where they belong.

Why Scammers Target Women

This isn't about weakness. Scammers design their tactics to exploit empathy, trust, and caregiving instincts — and they do it deliberately.

A study of 50 convicted online romance fraud offenders found that 70% primarily targeted female victims. The FTC has reported that women are 26% more likely to be targeted by financial fraudsters. An Australian analysis of 4,000 identity theft cases found that two-thirds of victims were women.

Romance scam losses alone hit $1.16 billion in the first nine months of 2025 — up 22% over the same period in 2024, according to FTC data. The median loss per victim was over $2,200. For a woman on a single income, that's not a bad day — that's a catastrophe.

And AI is making it worse. Deepfake-related scam losses tripled from 2024 to 2025, reaching roughly $1.1 billion worldwide. Over 80% of those losses originated on social media — the same platforms we use to stay connected, run small businesses, and build community.

The Scams Coming for Women Right Now

Romance Scams

These remain the most financially devastating scams targeting women. A scammer creates a fake profile — often posing as military personnel, a doctor, or a successful professional — and spends weeks or months building emotional trust before inventing a crisis that requires money.

The story of a French woman who lost more than $800,000 to criminals who convinced her she was in a relationship with Brad Pitt made global headlines. But for every story that makes the news, thousands don't. The victims are everyday women — professionals, mothers, retirees — who were looking for genuine connection.

A newer version is "pig butchering," where the romantic connection shifts into a fake investment scheme. The scammer builds trust, introduces a crypto trading platform, shows small fake returns, then pushes for a larger investment before vanishing with everything.

The "Hi Mom" Scam

This one is designed to weaponize a mother's instincts. A text arrives from an unknown number: "Hi Mom, I dropped my phone, this is my new number. I'm in trouble and need help." The urgency is intentional. Scammers know a mother's first response is to help, not to verify.

Sextortion and Deepfake Image Abuse

Sextortion — where someone gains access to private images and threatens to release them unless a ransom is paid — disproportionately targets women. A study found that 98% of deepfake videos online are pornographic and 99% of those target women. AI now makes it possible to create fake compromising images from publicly available social media photos alone.

If you're ever targeted: do not pay. Payment almost never stops the demands. Report to the FBI's IC3 at ic3.gov and contact local law enforcement.

Stalkerware

This threat sits at the intersection of scams and domestic abuse. Stalkerware is software secretly installed on a device — often by a current or former partner — that monitors your location, messages, calls, photos, and can even activate your microphone or camera without your knowledge.

Reports of stalkerware surged 780% during the pandemic. Signs to watch for: unexplained battery drain, your phone running hot, apps you didn't install, or unusual data usage.

Fake Shopping and Giveaway Scams

From counterfeit designer goods to fake beauty brand giveaways to "vote for my child's contest" links on Facebook, these scams target the everyday activities many women engage in online. The links lead to phishing sites that steal your login credentials or financial information.

Your Digital Safety Guide

Scan Before You Click

If a message, email, or link feels off, don't engage — scan it. ScamSecurityCheck.com lets you paste suspicious text, drop in a URL, or upload a screenshot and get an instant AI-powered risk assessment. It's free and takes seconds. Use it as your second opinion before you respond to anything that raises even a small doubt.

Lock Down Your Social Media

Scammers mine your profiles for details that make their approach more convincing — your kids' names, your location, where you work, your relationship status. Set your accounts to private. Remove your phone number and email from public view. You don't have to disappear from social media, but stop giving strangers a roadmap to your life.

Turn On Multi-Factor Authentication

Enable MFA on your email, bank accounts, and social media. This means even if a scammer gets your password, they can't access your account without a second verification step. Use an authenticator app instead of SMS when you can — phone numbers can be spoofed or SIM-swapped.

Create a Family Code Word

Pick a word only your family knows. If you ever get an emergency call or text claiming to be from your child, your parent, anyone — ask for the code word. No code word, no action. This single step defeats the "Hi Mom" scam and virtually every family emergency impersonation.

Use Strong, Unique Passwords

Never reuse the same password across accounts. One data breach hands scammers the keys to every account with the same login. Use a password manager or the password generator at ScamSecurityCheck.com to create strong passwords and check if your existing ones are safe.

Check for Stalkerware

If you're in or leaving a relationship where you feel unsafe, your digital security matters as much as your physical safety. Check for signs: unexpected battery drain, unusual data usage, unfamiliar apps. On iPhone, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Safety Check to review and revoke access. The Coalition Against Stalkerware at stopstalkerware.org has free resources for detection and removal.

Important: If you suspect stalkerware on your phone, use a different, safe device to research your options. If it's on your phone, your abuser may be able to see your search activity.

Reverse Image Search New People

Met someone online? Run their profile photo through a reverse image search before you invest emotionally. Scammers steal photos from real people's accounts to build fake profiles. ScamSecurityCheck's reverse image search tool is built to catch exactly this.

Never Send Money to Someone You Haven't Met

This is the single most important rule of romance scam prevention. It doesn't matter how long you've been talking, how real the relationship feels, or how urgent the story is. If they need wire transfers, gift cards, or cryptocurrency — it's a scam.

Talk to the Women in Your Life About This

Scammers thrive on silence and shame. Break that. Share this post with your mom, your sister, your daughter, your friends. The FTC reports that fraud losses among older adults quadrupled from $600 million in 2020 to $2.4 billion in 2024, with romance and investment scams driving much of the increase. A single conversation could protect someone you love.

Trust Your Gut — Then Verify

If something feels wrong, it probably is. But you don't have to rely on intuition alone. Scan the message. Check the link. Search the image. ScamSecurityCheck.com exists so that your moment of doubt can become a moment of clarity instead of a moment of loss.

You've Worked Too Hard for This

I built ScamSecurityCheck because I remember what it felt like to know that every dollar I earned was the only thing between my kids and uncertainty. No woman should lose that to someone sitting behind a screen running a script designed to exploit her trust.

You are not the problem. The scammers are. But you can be the solution — for yourself and for every woman you share this with.

Stay sharp. Stay protected. Keep your power.

Scan something suspicious right now — it's free.

---

Resources:

• National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
• Coalition Against Stalkerware: stopstalkerware.org
• FTC Report Fraud: ReportFraud.ftc.gov
• FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center: ic3.gov
• Apple Safety Check: Settings > Privacy & Security > Safety Check (iOS 16+)