The five women in the documentary all said they felt something was amiss too. But, lonely and clinging to hope, they hesitated to question their new relationships. Some thought they were being overly sceptical and closed to love, and pushed themselves to trust the person who would later con them.

It is those who pay attention to that sense of “something being off” that escape at least the financial blows. Facing this kind of truth is heartbreaking, but the alternative is so much worse. Rouhaan says he felt humiliation, shame, and rage at himself, when he finally acknowledged what he had done.

It wasn’t the emotion he invested in the relationship, or the trust, that he regrets. Love and belief keep us going, and they are things to hold on to. It is his incautious role in the deception that enrages him.

Like so many who suffer in such cons, he kept the details to himself. His gut told him that if he told friends and loved ones how the “relationship” was progressing, they would push him to end it. He didn’t tell anyone about the new “investment” either. The secrecy, sadly, bought the woman more time, and only delayed what was inevitable.

It was communicating her plan to her sister that saved Tina a, 37-year-old who was the subject of a similar con. She met the man she fell in love with on a matrimony app. He was based in England. They talked for hours, on video calls.

He seemed thoughtful, intelligent and kind. She, a media executive, started out sceptical but was won over.

Then, more than a month in, he dialled in looking distraught. He had been diagnosed with a rare disease that his insurance did not cover, he said. He had the money, but not enough. He was just devastated, he said. Tina volunteered to help out. She had money too; they were in this together, she told him. But first, Tina decided to tell her sister about the conversation. After all, she didn’t know this person.

Her sister was alarmed, and suggested they dig a bit deeper. The two women soon realised that the man’s facts did not align. In their next conversation, Tina says, he turned shifty and aloof. She did not transfer the money, or call him again.

When in love, my advice is, talk to the people in your life. I cannot stress how important it is to discuss the very things you are embarrassed or nervous about, whether these are spending habits or personality quirks, a temperamental nature or an unwillingness to commit.

Being vulnerable with someone that you know you can trust, is a great failsafe. (It is also good for one’s emotional well-being).

The only woman who didn’t lose a penny to a conman in the documentary, for instance, was also the only one who confided in a friend. A good sounding board is particularly vital at times like this, because it is physiologically more difficult to be level-headed in love.

The human brain is designed to light up when fed with the frisson of early attraction; it is designed to veer a bit off-course. By ignoring the hunches and suspicions, in some ways, one is only doing what nature intended. But that is what all of society was built for — to protect the individual in their moments of weakness.

Speak to someone, before you write the cheque. Or at least immediately after. They’re going to find out anyway, if your gut is right. And if it’s wrong, you can all laugh about it later.

(Simran Mangharam is a dating and relationship coach and can be reached on simran@floh.in)