4 romance scams to watch out for this V-Day — including AI grifts

Driving the news: The FBI warned this week against romance scams, flagging that "criminals are also exploiting generative AI to commit fraud on a larger scale."

• FBI field offices in cities like San Francisco, Jacksonville and Philadelphia put out separate notices outlining local fraud incidents and how to avoid them.

By the numbers: Americans in 2025 reported $1.16 billion stolen in romance scams, according to FTC data.

• BioCatch, a startup that specializes in fraud and financial crime prevention, told Axios that 340 financial institutions reported a 63% uptick in romance scam attempts between 2024 and 2025.

What they're saying: "Evolving criminal tactics have driven this surge, leveraging the capabilities of GenAI tools to create deepfake personas, hyper-personalize convincing outreach, and exploit social media and dating apps, fueling the fraud epidemic even further," Jonathan Frost, BioCatch's director of Global Advisory, said.

Here's four scams to watch out for:

Celebrity impersonation

Zoom in: AI is making it easier for scammers to pose as celebrities in order to swindle their starstruck victims.

• The Better Business Bureau's Scam Tracker "has received numerous reports involving products supposedly endorsed by well-known and trusted celebrities," the nonprofit said in December.
• In one example, "consumers reported receiving emails from what appears to be Kim Kardashian asking them to send her money to help the victims of the California wildfires," per the BBB.
• There have been multiple cases of scammers posing as Kevin Costner, Sandra Bullock, and Jennifer Aniston.

Frost said, "Fraudsters use AI-generated personas, recruit 'models' to enhance their deception, and even deploy deepfake videos and live video calls to build trust with victims."

"Pig butchering" schemes

"Pig-butchering," also known as "romance baiting," involves fraudsters encouraging victims to make investments by posing as successful crypto investors.

• "This scam makes fraud detection more difficult, as victims believe they are engaging in legitimate investing rather than being duped," Frost said.

The FBI's San Antonio office cautioned that these scams often begin on dating or social media platforms.

• "Victims are directed to professional-looking websites controlled by criminals that falsely display significant profits," the field office said.

Tragedy scams

The FTC said in 2023 the most-cited reason scammers gave to extort their victims was: "I or someone close to me is sick, hurt, or in jail."

• FBI's Boston office said that in one case, a woman from Casco, Maine lost $20,000 after starting an online romance with a man from Cuba who claimed he needed the money to return to the U.S.

"Worker abroad" scams

The FTC warned that scammers typically say they can't meet you in person.

• "They might say they're living or traveling outside the country, working on an oil rig, in the military, or working with an international organization."
• The agency said, "I'm in the military far away" was the third-most cited scam in 2023.

An elderly woman in Scotland was duped out of £17,000 by scammers using deepfake AI technology, Frost noted.

• "They convinced her to buy Steam gift cards, as the scammer highlighted that these would allow for their conversation to continue as they worked on an oil rig in the North Sea."

How to prevent and report scams

Zoom out: The FBI field offices urged people to "take a beat," when escalating online romances.

• The Boston office recommended only using "reputable, nationally recognized dating websites," keeping in mind that scammers may be using those too.
• "Research photos and profiles in other online search tools to see if the image, name, or details have been used elsewhere."
• The bureau's full list of advice can be found here.

How it works: If you suspect you're the victim of a romance scam, you can report it to the FBI and FTC.

The bottom line: Look out for more than just Cupid's arrow this V-Day.