Romance scammers are taking advantage of Americans

Valentine's Day is here again, and while some people are spending it with their partner, others might be getting unknowingly scammed online. Federal agencies and tech companies are sounding the alarm on "romance scammers," many of whom live overseas and use the promise of a romantic encounter to lure Americans.

This problem has worsened over the years. More than $1 billion was lost to romance scammers in 2023, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and 2024 figures are expected to be comparable once finalized.

How do these romance scams work?

These scams most frequently take place on dating apps or dating websites. Scammers "create fake profiles, using stolen photos and fabricated personal details to lure unsuspecting victims," said Newsweek. Given that they are on a dating app, scammers use the idea of romance to their advantage, often "professing love or deep affection within days or weeks."

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Once this happens, the scammer "then uses the illusion of a romantic or close relationship to manipulate and steal from the victim," said the FBI's Philadelphia field office. The scammers are typically highly trained and "will seem genuine, caring and believable." Many of these plots will also see "scammers impersonating members of the U.S. military or famous celebrities," said Engadget. One notable case involved a woman getting hustled out of $800,000 by scammers using AI-generated photos to pose as Brad Pitt.

These scammers are found all over the world, and "Nigeria and Ghana have emerged as hubs for internet fraud," Suleman Lazarus of the U.K.'s London School of Economics and Political Science said at The Conversation. In particular, Nigeria's Yahoo Boys and Ghana's Sakawa Boys "have a reputation for engaging in various fraudulent schemes, including online romance scams."

How much money has been lost?

Total losses from romance scams were $1.14 billion in 2023, according to FTC data. More than 64,000 people fell victim to these scams that year. Complete numbers for 2024 have not yet been released. However, through the first nine months of the year, there were 42,399 victims who reported losses of $823 million, the FTC told USA Today.

Those figures are "likely vastly underreported," former Santa Clara County, California, deputy district attorney Erin West said to USA Today. Not "all victims will report that they've been scammed, often because they're embarrassed."

How can you protect yourself?

The best way to protect yourself is by remaining vigilant. "Be careful what you post and make public online. Scammers can use details shared on social media and dating sites to better understand and target you," said the FBI. It is also a good idea to look up a person's name or reverse image search their profile photo to see if the image has been used elsewhere online, the agency said.

You should "never send money to anyone you have only communicated with online or by phone," added the FBI. Tech companies, including Facebook and Instagram parent brand Meta, are also working to help people avoid these scammers. When it comes to scammers posing as celebrities, Meta noted that people "posted photos or videos of celebrities in fan groups or in comments, claiming they were 'looking for love,'" and urged users not to trust such posts.

These companies have been "warning of unsolicited messages" through their "apps and other social media platforms, as well as general text messages," said The Associated Press. Despite this, experts say this type of scam is likely to continue gaining steam.