What if your Valentine’s date was an AI-generated scam?
Five rules to avoid falling for an algorithm and prevent online romance scams
Like every year, February 14th marks Valentine’s Day, the celebration for hopeless romantics. Around the world, millions of singles are searching for their elusive soulmate… and increasingly, they’re looking online, relying on social networks and dating apps. This now-established habit, however, exposes them to one of the most widespread and ruthless forms of social engineering: the romance scam.
Romance scams primarily strike through social networks and dating apps. Cybercriminals exploit information available online (relationship status, habits, passions, interests) to build credible profiles, establish trust, and nurture an emotional bond that can quickly turn into emotional dependency. At that point, a request for money, confidential information, or favors “for love” becomes only a matter of time.
Artificial Intelligence makes these scams more sophisticated, scalable, and dangerous. The future is closer than it seems: numerous AI applications are now available that can overlay a real person’s face onto the facial movements of a digital avatar, making video calls truly convincing. There are also Scam Centers—criminal organizations often connected to human trafficking—where victims are forced into slavery and compelled to perpetrate romance scams. A key role in this ecosystem is played by SIM boxes, hardware devices capable of hosting dozens or hundreds of SIM cards and routing large volumes of calls and messages to make them appear as local communications. When used for criminal purposes, SIM boxes allow scammers to bypass telecom operator controls, quickly change numbers, and make identifying the actual perpetrators of fraud extremely difficult.
“Romance scams are evolving rapidly thanks to the use of artificial intelligence and increasingly convincing deepfake techniques. Today, it’s no longer just about scamming individuals, but a real attack vector that can be exploited to target companies through their people,” explains Maurizio Zacchi, VP Academy at Cyber Guru.
How to protect yourself from online romance scams? Here’s Cyber Guru’s advice
- Does this person really exist? Always be wary of “too perfect” profiles—often you may believe your soulmate is on the other side, but it could have been created by AI.
- Verify images with a simple Google search, and watch for inconsistencies, implausible stories, or recurring grammatical errors.
- Be wary of relationships that move too fast. Love bombing is a typical technique in these scams: excessive attention, premature declarations of love, promises of marriage or imminent meetings (then suddenly canceled). Authentic relationships take time, while scammers aim to create an intense emotional bond in just a few days.
- Meet in person. If the person not only writes to you but also sends voice messages and participates in video calls, it doesn’t mean they’re real. In the past, refusing to participate in a video call was a warning sign, but now, thanks to deepfakes, it’s difficult to distinguish reality from deception. Therefore, it’s important to meet in person, in a public place.
- Protect information and devices. It’s important to avoid sharing important personal details with a stranger, such as: who your family members are, your home address, where you work, and more.
- Protect your personal information, but above all, never send money or digital gifts.
- Talk to someone you trust—a friend or family member may notice inconsistencies that you, being emotionally involved, might overlook. Scammers aim for isolation, but you’re not alone. If needed, you can seek help from the Postal Police, reporting the suspicious profile and blocking it.
Continue reading on Today
Romance scam: what it is and how to avoid online romance scams
