Think you wouldn’t fall for an online romance scam? Think again.
Sorry ladies, but that’s not actually Brad Pitt, Keanu Reeves or Kevin Costner professing their love for you in social media messages. In fact, it may not even be an actual person.
For those looking for love this Valentine’s Day, the idea of an online suitor, particularly a celebrity one, may seem romantic, but security experts warn that they’re likely part of a scam designed to steal your money and not your heart. But if you know what to look for, you can keep yourself safe from these scams.
Valentine’s Day is peak season for online romance scams, which accounted for $384 million in reported losses in the first nine months of 2024, the most recent figures available, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
Those numbers don’t take into account the untold numbers of victims that are too ashamed to admit that they fell for such a scheme. Others are so convinced that their relationships are real that they won’t believe they’re scams, even if they’re contacted by investigators.
The FBI office in Los Angeles on Thursday issued a warning about the scams, saying people should be especially skeptical of online suitors this time of year.
“Confidence fraud, or romance scams, can happen to anyone at any time,” Akil Davis, assistant director in charge of the FBI Los Angeles Field Office, said in a statement. “The criminals who carry out romance scams are experts at what they do.”
While these kinds of scams have been around for years, experts say they’re more of a threat than ever. Online dating and connecting through apps is more the norm than the exception. Meanwhile, advancements in technology, including the rollout of artificial intelligence tools, have helped scammers become more aggressive and sophisticated.
The scams often start with what looks like an innocent message through social media or an unsolicited email or text. The scammer will introduce themselves as a woman in a war-torn country or a man working on an oil rig in the middle of the ocean. It’s never anyone reachable.
Deepfakes and other AI tools are also making it easier for scammers to successfully impersonate celebrities, according to a report released Wednesday by the the cybersecurity company McAfee. AI-powered chatbots take scams a step further, engaging potential victims in human-like conversations and giving the scammer the ability to strike up “fauxmances” with even more people.
Whether they’re impersonating someone well-known, or just a regular person, many scammers aren’t afraid to play the long game. They’ll often string along a victim for several months, making sure they’re completely emotionally invested before asking for money. But once they cash in, the scammer and the victim’s dollars will just disappear.
It may be easy to say that you’d never fall for a scam like this, but there’s no shortage of people who have. Fifty-two percent of those polled in a McAfee survey earlier this month reported being scammed out of money or pressured to send money or gifts by someone they met online.
In addition, 21% said they’d been approached on social media by someone posing as a celebrity or well-known figure, McAfee said. Of those who fell for a celebrity scam, 33% said they lost money and 21% said they had their personal information stolen. Of those who lost money, the average amount was $1,985.
That may seem discouraging, but as with most online scams, you can usually avoid falling victim if you just take a minute to think.
As the cliche goes, if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Tips for avoiding romance scams
Be skeptical of unsolicited email, text or social media messages. This includes celebrities. There’s no way to know who the people behind them actually are. If someone claims to be overseas or otherwise says they can’t meet in person, or even do a video call, consider that a big red flag.
If you get a message claiming to be from a famous person you follow on social media, it’s probably fake, too. If it’s not from their verified account, then it’s not really them. And even if it is, they’ve likely been hacked.
Stick to your dating app. Dating apps don’t like scammers because they’re bad for their reputations. So they have algorithms and other safeguards in place that are designed to spot scammy behavior. Be wary if someone wants to move your communications to an outside messaging app like WhatsApp or Signal.
Professions of love that you think are coming way too early in a relationship, especially if you’ve never met in person, should also be treated with skepticism.
And make sure that you’re using a reputable dating app. McAfee researchers recently identified nearly 11,000 attempts to download fraudulent dating apps, with Tinder and OKCupid accounting for 84% of impersonations. In addition, the company said it blocked over 321,500 fraudulent URLs linked to romance scams in just seven weeks.
Never give money to people you don’t know in real life. If someone you’ve never met in person asks for money to travel to the US to see you, to pay for medical care or to help deal with a sudden tragedy, you should view it as a scam.
Protect your private data. Never send personal information like your Social Security number. The same goes for the keys to your cryptocurrency wallets. If someone asks for naked or otherwise explicit photos, say no. The FTC says cases of “sextortion,” where cybercriminals threaten to send such photos to people’s contacts if they don’t pay, are on the rise.
Do your homework. People who use dating apps and sites are probably tech savvy enough to have a social media presence. Check it out. While you’re at it, do a reverse image search of your potential date’s photo. If it pops up in other places under a different name, steer clear.
Be wary of big returns. Don’t send your money or crypto to online friends who say they have a great investment opportunity for you, even if they promise epic payouts.
Good cybersecurity will help keep you safe. As always, set good passwords, use two-factor authentication and make sure your antivirus software, operating systems and apps are all up to date. These basic practices will go a long way toward protecting you if you click on or download something you shouldn’t.
Report crimes that do happen. If you do fall victim to a scam, report it to the FTC and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, or IC3. If you met the scammer through a dating site or app, report it to the app or site, too.
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