Romance scams preying on those looking for companionship are surging at an alarming rate
Hyderabad:As Valentine’s Day approaches, so does the risk of heartbreak — not the lovelorn but from deception. Romance scams preying on those looking for companionship are surging at an alarming rate.
According to researchers at cybersecurity firm Tenable, 39 per cent of Indians, who sought love online, discovered that their romantic interest was actually a scammer. Even worse is that there is a staggering 400 per cent increase in romance-related spam and email scams.
Scammers have long exploited dating apps and messaging platforms, carefully crafting their stories to earn victims’ trust. And now, they have an even more dangerous tool at their disposal—generative AI. Many fraudsters operate from overseas and often struggle with language barriers.
AI allows them to craft emotionally charged, sophisticated messages, making their deception harder to detect.
“AI helps them create highly convincing messages that manipulate emotions and make scams harder to spot,” said Satnam Narang, a senior research engineer at Tenable.
Meanwhile, the problem is not just confined to dating apps. Matrimonial websites have become a hotbed for fraud, with 78 per cent of women encountering fake profiles, according to Tenable’s research. Scammers typically steal photographs, create false identities, and spend weeks or even months gaining their victims’ trust.
Once a connection is established, requests for money begin—often for supposed medical emergencies, customs clearance fees, or other such ‘critical’ situations.
Certain groups are particularly vulnerable. Elderly individuals, former military personnel, and those seeking financial arrangements are common targets. Fraudsters frequently impersonate service members, pretending to be stationed abroad, while others orchestrate ‘sugar mummy and daddy’ scams to lure victims into fraudulent financial transactions. Another deceptive tactic involves enticing individuals into adult video chats that require paid registrations, generating illicit profits.
Among the many romance scams, the most dangerous today is ‘romance baiting,’ previously known as pig butchering.
This long-term con involves scammers building deep trust before convincing their victims to invest in fraudulent cryptocurrency or stock platforms. According to experts, this scam has now overtaken traditional romance fraud in both prevalence and financial damage.
Victims often lose their life savings, while the emotional toll is immense.
“People have lost everything to these scams, and it’s heartbreaking. Victims are often blamed for being gullible, but these scams are highly manipulative and exploit vulnerabilities that anyone could have, Narang said.”
Recovering lost money is extremely difficult, especially when cryptocurrency is involved. To make matters worse, scammers frequently target their victims again, posing as ‘recovery agents’ who claim they can retrieve the stolen funds — for an additional fee. Many victims, desperate to get the lost money, fall for this second round of deception.
The best defence is skepticism, warn cyber security experts like Sathvik N. Reddy.
He told Deccan Chronicle, “If someone you’ve never met in person asks for money — whether for an emergency, a business opportunity, or an investment — consider them as a red flag. Authorities recommend reporting suspected scams to local law enforcement or cybercrime units immediately. In a digital world where love and deception intertwine, staying cautious is the best way to protect both the heart and the wallet.”
