1. The Rise of AI-Driven Romance Scams: A Global Wake-Up Call
In 2025, AI-driven romance scams have surged into a global crisis. According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) 2024 report, losses from romance scams reached $1.3 billion, a nearly 30% increase from 2022【FBI IC3】. The AARP also highlights a rising victimization rate among people aged 60 and above. AI technology makes it easier for scammers to impersonate “ideal partners,” gaining victims’ trust and money.
AI not only scales up the volume of scams but also greatly enhances the deceptive power of “sweet talk.” AI chatbots can provide 24/7 companionship, generating highly personalized emotional conversations that are difficult to distinguish from real human interaction. Romance scams are no longer isolated incidents but have evolved into a technology-driven “industry.”
2. Emily’s Story: When Love Meets a Language Model
Emily, a single woman living in the U.S., met “Michael” on Facebook Dating in 2024. He claimed to be an overseas engineer-attentive and caring, sending her messages every morning and evening. Despite never meeting in person, Michael remembered Emily’s birthday, favorite movies, and even comforted her when she felt down.
After a few weeks, Michael suggested a video call. The image was natural, expressions vivid, and his voice gentle. Emily had no doubts. However, as their relationship deepened, Michael claimed an emergency on a project requiring urgent funds. After Emily sent money, Michael disappeared.
Later investigations revealed Michael’s photos were AI-generated, and the video calls were deepfake technology in real-time. Emily is not alone; similar cases frequently appear on Reddit and YouTube.
3. Why AI Is the Perfect Wingman for Scammers
AI has become the perfect accomplice for scammers due to:
- Personalized content generation: Using large language models like ChatGPT, scammers quickly produce conversations tailored to the victim’s interests and emotional needs, making them highly convincing.
- Mass replication and customized scripts: AI can maintain dozens or even hundreds of fake identities simultaneously, each with a unique “persona,” greatly improving scam efficiency.
- Emotional simulation: AI analyzes victim responses and adjusts tone and topics to create a “soulmate” feeling.
These capabilities have transformed traditional “scripted” scams into “one-to-one” emotional manipulation, significantly increasing victim numbers and losses.
4. Deepfakes and Face-Swapping: The Visual Layer of the Lie
By 2025, deepfake and face-swapping technologies are widely used in video scams. Scammers enhance credibility by:
- Real-time video forgery: On platforms like Zoom, WhatsApp, and Instagram, AI generates “live” videos with natural facial expressions and lip-syncing.
- Case examples: YouTube hosts many demos exposing AI video forgery scams, such as Deepfake Scam Example.
- Social platform spread: Reddit communities frequently share victim stories warning that even videos can be faked.
| Technique | Application Scenario | Risk |
| Deepfake video synthesis | Video calls, short videos | Identity forgery, trust deception |
| Voice cloning | Phone calls, voice messages | Impersonating relatives or banks |
| Face-swapping | Social media photos, live streams | Misleading victims with stolen images |
5. Top Platforms Where AI Romance Scams Thrive
AI romance scams mainly flourish on:
- Tinder: The world’s largest dating app with over 75 million active users in 2024. FTC data shows dating app-related scam reports rising fastest【FTC Romance Scam Data】.
- Facebook Dating: Combines social networking with dating, making it easier for scammers to target users.
- Instagram: Uses DMs, likes, and short videos to build trust and fake personas.
- Telegram: High anonymity allows scammers to frequently change identities and hide traces.
According to Pew Research 2024, 37% of 18-29-year-olds have encountered fake profiles on social platforms, while people over 60 suffer greater financial losses due to weaker defenses【Pew Research Online Dating】.
6. 5 Red Flags: Are You Falling for an AI Lover?
Five key warning signs of an AI-powered romance scam:
Always online
The person replies instantly 24/7-something AI can do, but a real human cannot.
Perfect tone
Conversations are emotionally flawless, with no typos or awkward phrasing.
Pushing you to switch platforms
Quickly asks to move chats to WhatsApp, Telegram, or other private apps to avoid platform oversight.
Avoids voice calls
Makes excuses to skip voice or video calls, or the call shows delays or unnatural behavior.
Video delays or unnatural movements
Video calls have slight lip-sync issues or static backgrounds.
These signals serve as a simple checklist for users and are easy to share with friends and family.
7. The Psychology Behind the Scam: Why Smart People Get Fooled
Romance scams don’t just target gullible people. Psychological research shows even intelligent, well-educated individuals fall victim because:
- Romantic infatuation effect: Emotional involvement reduces rational judgment, making warning signs easier to miss.
- Technological deception: Advances in AI make fake content harder to detect for ordinary users.
- Loneliness and lack of social validation: Post-pandemic loneliness and reduced real-life social support increase vulnerability to online emotional manipulation.
8. Who Is Most at Risk? A Closer Look at Vulnerable Groups
Groups most vulnerable to AI romance scams include:
- Seniors: AARP reports that over 30% of victims are aged 60+, with average losses higher than younger groups【AARP Fraud Watch】.
- Widows and divorcees: Emotional voids make them targets for “caring” scammers.
- International immigrants: Language and cultural barriers reduce scam awareness.
- Long-distance couples: Heavy reliance on remote communication lowers suspicion.
FBI IC3 data shows U.S. victims aged 60+ lost an average of $19,000 in 2024, far exceeding losses in other age groups.
9. Scams Don’t Always Start With a Call-But Often End With One
AI romance scams often begin on social media but end with a phone call to finalize the fraud. Common tactics include:
- AI-synthesized voices impersonating bank staff: Claiming account issues to trick victims into transferring money.
- Posing as police or relatives: Creating “emergency” scenarios demanding urgent funds.
- Cross-platform coordination: Building trust online, then switching to phone calls for the final “harvest.”
Global phone scam losses topped $3 billion in 2024, with calls remaining the “last mile” of fraud.
10. How RealCall Helps You Spot the Final Trap
While AI romance scams often begin on social media, the final money grab frequently happens over the phone. This is where RealCall (https://www.realcall.ai/) provides a critical line of defense:
- Detects scam number ranges and suspicious calls by leveraging a globally updated daily spam database.
- Automatically blocks calls from numbers flagged for scams, including common impersonators such as fake bank callers and international scam numbers, before your phone rings.
- Customizable blacklists and whitelists allow users to manage calls flexibly, ensuring important calls are never missed.
- Uses AI to analyze voice patterns and call characteristics to identify spam calls without recording conversations.
- Separates suspicious SMS messages into a junk folder, helping users avoid text-based scams.
- Includes advanced features like customized answer bots that can engage telemarketers automatically (subscription required).
RealCall has blocked hundreds of millions of spam calls and helped users avoid tens of millions of dollars in potential losses, providing a safer calling experience for millions.
11. What You Can Do: Stay Skeptical, Stay Safe
To protect yourself from AI romance scams, follow these steps:
Verify identities
Use trusted tools like FaceCheck.ID, SocialCatfish, and TinEye to reverse-image search and verify photos.
Report suspicious accounts
Quickly report scams on social platforms to protect others.
Follow official resources
Stay informed via FBI IC3, FTC Report Fraud, and AARP Fraud Watch.
Use call-blocking apps like RealCall
Install RealCall or similar AI-powered phone management apps to block scam calls and suspicious messages.
Please share this article with your loved ones to help them avoid the new wave of AI-powered romance scams. Together, we can protect emotional safety in the digital age!
RealCall official website: https://www.realcall.ai/
For more scam awareness and case studies, follow the RealCall official blog.