Oil rig scammers: is he really offshore?

Why scammers pretend to work on an oil rig

The story does a lot of work for the scammer. An offshore job sounds well paid and responsible, it explains weeks without a video call, and it puts him far away with no easy way to meet.

It also sets up the money request. When something goes wrong on a rig, he can say it costs thousands, has to be paid now and can’t go through his own bank.

How the oil rig romance scam works

1. He finds you on a dating app, Facebook, Instagram or even a game, then moves the chat to WhatsApp, Telegram or Google Chat.
2. He’s an engineer or contractor on a rig in the North Sea, the Gulf of Mexico or off West Africa, often widowed and raising a child alone.
3. Messages are daily and loving. He talks about retiring from the rig and building a life with you once this contract ends.
4. The connection is always too poor for video, but strong enough for long chats and photos.
5. Then there’s a crisis: a broken part he must pay for, a salary held until the contract ends, customs on a parcel, or a leave fee and flight home.
6. If you pay once, the next crisis follows. Some ask you to receive money or packages for them, which can make you part of the fraud.

Signs he’s an oil rig scammer

• His photos look like a catalogue: hard hat, overalls, a helicopter or a sunset over the platform.
• He can chat for hours but the camera never works, or the video call drops after a few seconds.
• He can’t name the rig, the company or his job in a way you can check, or the details change.
• He says the company won’t pay him until the contract ends, or that his bank account is frozen offshore.
• He asks for gift cards, crypto, a wire, an Apple or Google Pay transfer, or help ordering equipment.
• He wants you to keep the relationship quiet, or gets upset when you mention a friend’s doubts.

What real offshore workers can and can’t do

Offshore crews usually work set rotations, such as two or three weeks on and the same off, and the employer arranges and pays the travel to and from the rig. Many installations give crews internet and phone access in their off-hours.

Equipment, parts and repairs are the operator’s cost, not the worker’s. No company asks an employee’s partner to pay a fee before he can leave, and salaries go to his own bank, not through a girlfriend’s account.

How to check if he’s real

1. Save two or three of his photos, and crop each one to his face.
2. Search the face and see where else it appears, and under which names. Scam-warning groups often repost the same pictures.
3. Ask for a live video call at a time you choose. Two minutes is enough, and a real person can manage it on shore leave.
4. Search the company and job title he gave you. Scammers often name real companies, so a matching photo matters more than a real logo.
5. Tell someone you trust about him. Scammers push secrecy because outside eyes end the story.

If his photos show up on someone else’s profile, the man you’re talking to isn’t the man in the pictures. The romance scammer questions guide covers what to ask if the search finds nothing.

What to do if you’ve already sent money

1. Stop paying, whatever he promises about paying you back when the contract ends.
2. Call your bank, card issuer or payment app straight away and ask whether the payment can be stopped or reversed.
3. If he asked you to receive or forward money or parcels, stop, and tell your bank. You could be used to move stolen money.
4. In the US, report it at reportfraud.ftc.gov and ic3.gov, and report his profile on the app where you met.
5. Be wary of anyone who contacts you offering to recover the money for a fee. That is often a second scam.