Is your Valentine a Catch or a Catfish?

How to identify romance scams…

Looking for love can be challenging and in today’s digital age where endless dating apps and AI are just a tap away, it can be hard to trust an online connection. Studies show that romance fraud is becoming more prevalent than ever, with it placing among the top five most commonly reported frauds to Action Fraud.

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, the experts at AI prompt management tool AIPRM have revealed some of the most common online romance scams and provided tips on how to spot one.

5 Most Common Romance Scams

1. Fake dating profiles

Fake dating profiles are incredibly common online, with 62% of internet users in the US alone reporting that they believe that they have ‘definitely’ been catfished. With many online platforms requiring no identity verification, you can pose as anyone real or fake within a few minutes.

These fake profiles often front as celebrities or strangers searching for love but can even impersonate people you know, building trust and using tricks to steal sensitive information, and funds or persuade you to act on their behalf.

2. AI profile photos

AI-generated imagery is often incredibly easy to create and very believable. Users of tools often go beyond the typical Facetune catfishing stereotype and can even create a whole new person or design profile photos using celebrity likeness.

Recently a 53-year-old woman revealed that she was the victim of an AI catfish scam where a criminal impersonated Brad Pitt claiming he needed money for surgery prompting her to send over $850k (£700k) and persuading her to divorce her husband and marry him instead. The criminal used AI imagery as evidence of his identity, with many AI tools easy to use and free but dangerous in the wrong hands.

3. Chatbots

Once you’re connected to a cybercriminal looking for their next victim, they often turn to AI-powered chatbots to deceive and manipulate. Automating conversations creates realistic and engaging conversations designed to lull you into a false sense of security. Powered by AI, these chatbots can learn your emotional cues, match your tone and language, and fool you into believing you are talking to a real person. All while collecting data and following conversation paths designed to create relationships and scam users.

4. Deepfakes

Deepfake technology is becoming a more common and dangerous tool used in romance scams. Deepfakes are images, videos or audio that have been created by AI tools that may use real people and change appearances, create new people or even use celebrities, politicians or people you know to do whatever the creator desires.

Tools that create deepfakes are now widely available and have been known to fool online users and even the media. For romance scams, they will commonly be used to enhance the credibility of catfishing.

5. ‘Pig butchering’ scams

This sophisticated form of financial fraud is designed to “fatten up” victims by creating trust over time before stealing money. The scammers will often take to dating apps or social media, pose as celebrities or attractive individuals and begin the relationship-building phase of the scam, designed to create a bond between the user and the fake profile before introducing fake investment sites or apps that allow the victim to falsely invest their money.

These sophisticated sites and apps will be flooded with reputable market data and even allow the victim to withdraw money for extra confidence before the scammer steals the money or sensitive information inputted.

Red Flags: How To Quickly Spot A Romance Scam

• Too good to be true

  • The person is very attractive, successful or even a celebrity.

  • Their profile photos are professional shots worthy of vogue.

• Fast emotional connection

  • They push the conversation forward very quickly, confessing strong feelings fast.

• Vague or inconsistent details

  • They give limited personal information, are a better listener than a sharer or the information they do give has gaps or doesn’t add up.

• Reluctant to meet face-to-face or uses questionable deepfakes

  • Full of excuses for why you can’t meet or video call.

  • Video and calls where they exhibit unnatural movements, glitches or distortions.

• Requests money or investment opportunities

  • They need money for an emergency, they are raising money for a good cause or offer you a once-in-a-lifetime investment opportunity.

• Ask you to chat on a different platform

  • Quickly moving to text, WhatsApp or even email to avoid getting removed from dating sites.

Christoph C. Cemper, founder of AIPRM provides expert comment on how to exercise caution online and what to do if you or a loved one suspect you’ve fallen victim to a romance scam:

“As AI becomes increasingly more accessible and oftentimes free to use, we are experiencing a rise in more sophisticated romance scams. It’s incredibly important to know how to identify these scams and what steps to take if you believe you are being targeted.”

“Always exercise caution when engaging with strangers online and never give money to someone you’ve only met online. Try testing their credentials by reverse image searching their photos to see if they’ve stolen them from elsewhere, or consider running them through AI detection tools to verify authenticity. Carefully challenge the potential scammer if their stories don’t add up, and don’t be afraid to ask them lots of detailed questions to see if they slip up. Most importantly, be mindful of sharing personal information, as scammers often use small details to gain your trust and exploit you.”

“If you or a loved one suspect you have fallen for a scam, act quickly and change your passwords, tell your bank and report it to the police through Action Fraud“