With Valentine’s Day approaching, it’s a good time to remind everyone about the growing concern of romance scams, which are becoming harder to spot due to advancements like AI.
Albert Einstein famously said, “You can’t blame gravity for falling in love.” However, the growing surge in romance scams suggests you might want to blame something else: scammers—and the ever-advancing capabilities of AI.
What are Romance Scams?
Romance scams are a form of social engineering in which scammers create fake identities, often on dating or social media platforms, to build trust and affection with individuals seeking companionship. Once a connection is made, scammers frequently express love, propose marriage or suggest in-person meetings—all to manipulate victims into sending money.
Scammers typically spend months or years cultivating deep relationships with their victims, so when they ask for money—whether for a plane ticket or an emergency surgery—they often seem genuine and leave victims vulnerable to exploitation.
One high-profile case last year involved a scammer posing as professional wrestler Alexa Bliss, who stole nearly $1 million over two years from an elderly man, including his granddaughter’s college fund. Tragically, even after his son attempted to move the remaining funds into a new account, the elderly man sued him so he could continue “helping” the imposter he believed was Alexa Bliss.
You’re the AI of My Eyes
Romance scams, like the Alexa Bliss one, are often easy to spot due to common red flags, such as only being able to communicate through text or voice calls. However, the rise of AI deepfakes makes detecting these scams increasingly difficult.
A recent example of this involves a woman who had nearly $900,000 stolen by a scammer impersonating Brad Pitt. The scam began with someone posing as the actor on Instagram, slowly building a relationship with the victim through a year and a half of love bombing, poems and constant affirmation.
Eventually, the scammer made a financial request, backing it up with AI-generated images of Brad Pitt in a hospital bed. They fabricated a story claiming that the actor needed funds for treatment of kidney cancer since his divorce from Angelina Jolie froze his bank accounts. Moved by the emotional manipulation and the convincing AI imagery, the victim—believing that the actor’s life was at risk—sent her entire life’s savings to help.
While it may seem unbelievable that someone would fall for such a scheme, AI technology blurs the line between what’s real and what’s fake for these victims, allowing scammers to generate convincing fake images and videos that can deceive even the most skeptical individuals.
Though these examples may involve high-profile individuals like a WWE wrestler or Brad Pitt, romance scams are far more common than you might think. In fact, the Federal Trade Commission reports that nearly 70,000 people were victims of romance scams in 2022, with older adults losing nearly $240 million.
And if you’re still not convinced of how real AI-generated videos can appear, just ask the company who lost $25 million to one.
Fraudulent Love at First Sight: How to Spot and Stop Romance Scams
The combination of advancing AI technologies, dating apps and social media creates the perfect storm for romance scams. To stay safe this Valentine’s Day and throughout the year, watch for these red flags:
- Their photos look too perfect or seem like stock images/models.
- They quickly want to move conversations to a different texting app.
- They always have excuses for why they can’t meet in person (emergencies, work, etc.).
- They overwhelm you with compliments, attention and words of affirmation.
- They ask for money or financial details (this is the biggest red flag).
If you suspect you or someone you know is being scammed, the Department of Homeland Security recommends:
- Stop communicating with the scammer immediately.
- Report the scam to the website or app where it occurred.
- File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.
- Notify local law enforcement.
- Regularly check financial account statements for unusual activity.
- Replace any compromised bank accounts or credit cards.
You can also find support through the AARP’s fraud helpline, 877-908-3360. This is a free resource available to anyone, regardless of age or AARP membership. Who knows, maybe you will even reach one of our fraud experts James Rumph – who is a volunteer fraud specialist for AARP’s fraud helpline.
Above all, don’t blame yourself. Romance scams are designed to manipulate emotions and can affect anyone, regardless of age, education or background.
About Schneider Downs Cybersecurity
The Schneider Downs cybersecurity practice consists of experts offering a comprehensive set of information technology security services, including penetration testing, intrusion prevention/detection review, ransomware security, vulnerability assessments and a robust digital forensics and incident response team. In addition, our Digital Forensics and Incident Response teams are available 24x7x365 at 1-800-993-8937 if you suspect or are experiencing a network incident of any kind.
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