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Looking for love makes you vulnerable. And vulnerability? That's where shame lives.
Kylee Dennis knows this better than most. When her mum got love scammed after 25 years of being single, the thing that hurt more than the money lost was watching her carry the shame of it—too embarrassed to ask for help, too mortified to admit she'd wanted connection badly enough to believe someone who wasn't real.
Kylee spent nearly 14 years as a detective doing intelligence ops, undercover work, and crisis negotiations. She knew how predators operated. But what she didn't know until her mum's scam was how powerfully shame protects the criminals.
So she went undercover herself—creating fake profiles as a 67-year-old man and a 62-year-old woman to see exactly how scammers weaponize our longing for connection. What she found? Scams aren't about intelligence. They're about manipulation. And the vulnerability that comes with wanting love makes all of us targets.
This isn't just about romance scams. It's about shame, vulnerability, and the cost of staying silent.
Timestamps & Chapters
00:00 - Intro: The Vulnerability of Looking for Love
02:45 - When Kylee's Mum Got Scammed
07:30 - "I Just Feel Stupid": The Language of Shame
12:15 - Going Undercover on Dating Apps
18:40 - What Scammers Really Do (and How They Share Tactics)
24:20 - Life as a Female Detective in the 1980s
32:50 - "Men, Police Dogs, Then Police Women"
38:15 - The Pawn Shop Undercover Operation
43:00 - Identity Loss: From Detective to Stay-at-Home Mum
48:30 - "I Was Just a Plus Guest"
52:10 - Finding Purpose Through Two Face Investigations
56:20 - The Power of Helping Just One Person
58:45 - TikTok Scammer Universities & Dark Rituals
63:15 - Human Trafficking & Scam Compounds in Myanmar
66:40 - "Where Is the Money Going?"
68:30 - How to Stay Safe: Pause, Check, Ask
70:15 - Final Wisdom on Shame & the Vault
Connect with Kylee:
Dating Safety Tips:
If You've Been Scammed:
Support the Show
If this episode resonated with you, please:
Connect with Danielle:
By Danielle ColleyEnjoyed this and want to let us know? Drop us a text
Looking for love makes you vulnerable. And vulnerability? That's where shame lives.
Kylee Dennis knows this better than most. When her mum got love scammed after 25 years of being single, the thing that hurt more than the money lost was watching her carry the shame of it—too embarrassed to ask for help, too mortified to admit she'd wanted connection badly enough to believe someone who wasn't real.
Kylee spent nearly 14 years as a detective doing intelligence ops, undercover work, and crisis negotiations. She knew how predators operated. But what she didn't know until her mum's scam was how powerfully shame protects the criminals.
So she went undercover herself—creating fake profiles as a 67-year-old man and a 62-year-old woman to see exactly how scammers weaponize our longing for connection. What she found? Scams aren't about intelligence. They're about manipulation. And the vulnerability that comes with wanting love makes all of us targets.
This isn't just about romance scams. It's about shame, vulnerability, and the cost of staying silent.
Timestamps & Chapters
00:00 - Intro: The Vulnerability of Looking for Love
02:45 - When Kylee's Mum Got Scammed
07:30 - "I Just Feel Stupid": The Language of Shame
12:15 - Going Undercover on Dating Apps
18:40 - What Scammers Really Do (and How They Share Tactics)
24:20 - Life as a Female Detective in the 1980s
32:50 - "Men, Police Dogs, Then Police Women"
38:15 - The Pawn Shop Undercover Operation
43:00 - Identity Loss: From Detective to Stay-at-Home Mum
48:30 - "I Was Just a Plus Guest"
52:10 - Finding Purpose Through Two Face Investigations
56:20 - The Power of Helping Just One Person
58:45 - TikTok Scammer Universities & Dark Rituals
63:15 - Human Trafficking & Scam Compounds in Myanmar
66:40 - "Where Is the Money Going?"
68:30 - How to Stay Safe: Pause, Check, Ask
70:15 - Final Wisdom on Shame & the Vault
Connect with Kylee:
Dating Safety Tips:
If You've Been Scammed:
Support the Show
If this episode resonated with you, please:
Connect with Danielle: