Most of us believe that we would never, ever fall for a scam. We think we know the “tells,” like poorly formulated communication that sounds urgent. Unfortunately, social engineering—tactics that prey on human emotions and instincts to get us to act against our own interests—can work on anyone.
Romance scams are a textbook example of emotional manipulation in which the perpetrator exploits a victim’s feelings of loneliness, love, or desire for connection to build trust over the long term. Beyond the emotional toll, the financial consequences are significant: The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) reported $672 million in romance scam losses in 2024, and this number is almost certainly only a fraction of the real total.
Scammers are increasingly employing AI tools in romance scams, making these campaigns even harder to detect and therefore even more dangerous for targets. Experian predicts that AI-powered romance scams will be among the top fraud threats in 2026.
How a romance scam works
As McAfee describes in a recent report on the state of romance scams, this type of fraud is a long con. A romance scam typically starts with a “hook,” like a DM, follow request, “wrong number” text, or match on a dating app. Once a scammer gets a response, they’ll move into love bombing in an attempt to quickly build intimacy and trust while encouraging you to keep the relationship a secret. They’ll take time to build credibility around their persona, which likely includes a job or lifestyle that prevents them from meeting you.
Next comes a minor request for financial support, which may escalate into opening an account, “investing” in a business venture, or co-signing a loan. Increasingly, these schemes involve fraudulent investments in cryptocurrency. (Another term for this is “pig butchering.”) Once they’ve got what they want, scammers disappear, leaving victims to deal with the consequences.
Romance scams work because they don’t start with obvious exploitation. Fraudsters build up trust over weeks and months, so it’s more likely to feel like a real relationship than a scam until victims are already in too deep.
AI is making romance scams worse
AI is making romance scams even easier for fraudsters to run. In a review of recent research, Bitdefender notes that in order to build trust, scammers have traditionally had to devote significant time and attention to each individual target. While playing the long game in this way is often worth the effort—as the payoff is often significant—it limits the number of potential victims any one scammer could reach.
AI removes these barriers. Large language models (LLMs) are capable of maintaining natural conversations without the red flags of a scam, such as poor grammar and misspellings. AI can mirror personality, reflect emotion, and match tone, and it’s less likely than a human to come off as pressured or rushed. Chatbots can retain and integrate personal details from earlier conversations, and it requires very little effort to sustain for a very large number of victims.
What do you think so far?
Automated chatbots are especially adept at handling the early stages of a romance scam, and humans are required to step in only at critical moments to offer reassurance or initiate a financial request. Because scammers can maintain many conversations at once, they can also test out different tactics and quickly refine based on what works best to keep victims engaged. As the Global Cyber Alliance puts it, AI adds “speed, scale, and consistency” to the traditional romance scam.
Research suggests that victims may actually find AI more trustworthy than a human. McAfee found that a third of American adults believe it’s possible to develop romantic feelings toward an AI bot. Deepfake audio and video make these AI-powered scams even more credible, as victims can no longer rely on a scammer’s refusal to actually speak with them as a red flag.
How to catch a romance scam
Even a well-trained chatbot has limitations. According to McAfee, the most common clues that you’re interacting with a bot or fake profile include scripted or repetitive responses, instant (and perfectly crafted) replies, and photos that are obviously generated by AI. Other red flags include a contact who avoids voice and video calls as well as unusual requests early in the relationship.
To avoid getting wrapped up in an AI-powered romance scam, slow down. Be wary of perfectly crafted responses, which may indicate automation. Try asking unexpected questions or creating friction, which can throw a chatbot off. Remember that relationships shouldn’t rely on secrecy or be contingent on financial support. Social media and dating sites are full of fake profiles, so seeing is not always believing.
