New research reveals AI, deepfakes, and emerging relationship scams are changing the game for online daters – from texts to Tinder and beyond

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, love isn’t the only thing in the air—so are scams. As millions flock to dating apps, social media, and messaging platforms in search of love, new McAfee research uncovers a concerning surge in AI-driven romance scams, fake dating apps, and deepfake deception, making it increasingly difficult for hopeful romantics to distinguish real love from a digital trick.

“Before I knew it, we were talking every day, and I truly believed I had found someone I could trust.”

The Online Romance Boom

Online dating has never been more popular; 62% of people say they have used dating apps, social media, or messaging platforms to meet potential partners. Men (31%) are more likely than women (17%) to be actively dating online.

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Younger users are the most active online daters, with 73% of people 18-24 using Tinder and platforms like Snapchat (29%) and TikTok (25%) becoming increasingly popular for dating. But with more people looking for love online, there’s also more risk of scams, as scammers are target unsuspecting online love-seekers with fake profiles and AI-driven deceptions.

The Rise of the AI-Powered Fauxmance

“Technology has revolutionized communication by enabling instant connections across the globe, fostering deeper relationships and collaboration regardless of physical distance—but unfortunately, it’s also transforming the way scammers operate,” said Abhishek Karnik, Head of Threat Research at McAfee. “More than 1 in 4 people (26%) say they or someone they know has been approached by an AI chatbot posing as a real person on a dating app or social media, and an alarming 76% believe scammers could easily use AI to fake romantic relationships and manipulate victims financially or emotionally. As AI-powered scams become more convincing, it’s more important than ever for people to stay vigilant and protect themselves online.”

This concern isn’t unfounded: nearly 1 in 3 (32%) believe it’s possible to develop romantic feelings for an AI chatbot. As technology reshapes relationships in unexpected ways, it also creates new opportunities for fraud.

Rob S., a cybersecurity professional in his thirties, thought he had made a real connection with someone he met in a group chat: “We met in a group chat and really hit it off. After exchanging numbers, we started texting and getting to know each other.”

That trust was shattered when she asked for money: “When she asked for more money, I started to notice the red flags. Her messages were repetitive, her number didn’t make sense for her location, and I realized I might have been speaking with a bot—or, at the very least, a scammer.”

“Looking back, a lot of her messages were generic and didn’t feel personal. That’s when it hit me—there was a real chance I wasn’t even talking to a person.”

But scammers aren’t just using random AI-generated personas—they’re preying on trust and admiration for famous figures. Concern over deepfake deception in romance scams is rising fast, and for good reason. 1 in 5 people (21%) have been approached on social media by someone pretending to be a celebrity. Among those who fell for a “celebrity” scam, 33% lost money, at an average of nearly $2,000 per victim.

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From Sweet Nothings to Scams

AI-powered deception isn’t the only trick scammers have up their sleeves – romance scams aren’t just happening on dating apps, they’re also playing out across social media, messaging platforms, and through fraudulent websites designed to mimic legitimate dating services.

Dating apps (78%) are the place people most frequently encounter potential romance scams, followed closely by social media (72%), and text or email scams (65%). This is particularly challenging when scammers go beyond posing as potential partners and create fake dating platforms to steal personal and financial data.

McAfee researchers identified nearly 11,000 attempts to download fraudulent dating apps, with Tinder and OKCupid accounting for 84% of impersonations. Meanwhile, McAfee blocked over 321,500 fraudulent URLs linked to romance scams in just seven weeks – an average of more than 6,000 scam links per day.

Heartbreak With a Price Tag

Beyond fake profiles and AI-driven deception, scammers are targeting people’s wallets. 52% of people have either been scammed out of money, valuables, or pressured to send gifts by someone they met online. Financial scams disguised as romantic relationships, like the notorious “pig butchering” crypto scam, have become increasingly common.

One devastating case involved a widow who lost $30,000i to a scammer she met on Facebook Dating over an eight-month period. The emotional manipulation scammers employ makes it easier to convince victims to part with large sums of money.

Maggie K., a 25-year-old programmer, thought she had found love online: “Before I knew it, we were talking every day, and I truly believed I had found someone I could trust.”

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That trust was shattered when he asked for money: “I ignored my gut feeling and sent the money. I sent him $1,200, and then he disappeared.”

“I’m so scared, I don’t know what’s going to happen next. He knew so much about me—where I lived, my routines. I kept wondering if he could use that against me. When I reported the scam, the police told me his images were AI-generated. He wasn’t even a real person. That was the scariest part – I had trusted someone who never even existed.”

How to Stay Safe While Looking for Love Online

With online romance scams on the rise, McAfee urges daters to be extra cautious and offers the following advice:

  • Question too-good-to-be-true matches – If someone avoids video calls, moves conversations off-platform quickly, or declares love too soon, proceed with caution.
  • Verify their identity – Reverse image search profile pictures and check social media activity to confirm if they are who they claim to be.
  • Protect personal information – Scammers use small details like birthdays or pet names to guess passwords and commit identity theft.
  • Never send money or gifts – No legitimate romantic partner should ever ask for financial assistance.
  • Use online protection tools – Tools like McAfee Scam Protection can detect and block suspicious messages, phishing attempts, and AI-generated fraud in real time.
  • Invest in holistic online protection like McAfee+. Use products that provide maximum identity, privacy, and device protection. Help keep yourself and your family safe online with protection that detects and protects against suspicious links and sites so you can browse online with greater confidence. For those with a supported device, take advantage of McAfee Deepfake Detector to alert you of deepfake audio within videos.

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Source – businesswire

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