How AI Is Fueling Dating Scams and How to Protect Yourself

Scammers are using AI in dating scams to make their profiles and messages more real and convincing than ever before. AI has equipped scammers with powerful tools to prey on people who are often unable to tell fact from fiction.

The FTC reports that thousands of people fall victim to romance scams every year. The goal of this blog is not to prevent you from using dating apps, but to inform you of the risks there are, and to help you stay alert to signs. The reality is that any individual can fall victim to a dating scam because emotional involvement reduces rational judgment.

Understanding how scammers operate makes it easier to spot red flags and avoid their traps. Keep reading to find out how scammers are using AI in romance scams and learn how to stay protected — so you can find real connections instead.  

How do scammers use AI in dating scams?

1. Using AI to create fake profiles

AI enables scammers to create multiple fake profiles to use as bait. They can create altered photos of real people, such as celebrities, or create fake photos of people who don’t exist. The same goes for bios; AI helps scammers craft more realistic, believable bios that don’t look low-effort or generic.

When you combine multiple images with a bio that reads like it was written by a real person, fake profiles become harder to detect.

2. Automated messaging powered by AI chatbots

AI helps scammers with the heavy lifting, since they can run conversations with multiple victims. Instead of the human scammer writing each message, AI chatbots have the capacity to run hundreds of conversations at once.

They can respond quickly at any time and tailor conversations to each victim. Basically, they can keep conversations going indefinitely, gradually building trust with each victim.

3. Using voice-cloning and deepfake audio

One of the most convincing uses of AI in dating scams is the use of voice tools. AI voice tools can generate speech that sounds like a real person. Scammers use these tools to send voice messages to create a sense of intimacy and closeness to convince victims that the relationship is real.

Some advanced tools can even conduct phone calls to speak directly with their victims. These tools are sophisticated enough to make scams significantly harder to detect. If someone is speaking with you on the phone, it can feel far more convincing and much harder to spot a fake persona.

4. Using a deepfake video that includes live video calls

A deepfake video is the most sophisticated use of AI in dating scams. What is this advanced feature? It’s a type of synthetic media in which AI replaces a person’s voice and expressions with another. In other words, the scammer has a video call with you, but the AI transforms them into a different person, with a different appearance and voice.

Some of these AI tools allow scammers to swap faces or adjust appearances in videos or live video calls. This way, the victim has a live video call with the person in the dating profile, convincing them that they’re real. The old assumption that “if we video chat, they must be real” no longer guarantees authenticity.

Unfortunately, there aren’t official statistics yet of how many people are falling victim to these advanced technologies, but many anti-fraud organizations are warning people that real-time deepfakes are being used in romance scams.

How to spot AI-powered dating scams?

Now, here are some tips to help keep you from falling for an AI profile! Even though these tools are highly sophisticated, there are still some red flags that you can look for before falling for a profile whose goal is to drain your bank account.

1. Look out for profiles that look too perfect to be true

If their photos look like they’ve been taken from a magazine, they probably were. AI can replicate photos from celebrities to create realistic photos of people who don’t exist.

You can look for signs like faces that seem unusually symmetrical or flawless, profiles with low social activity, or photos that look too sterile, like stock photos. Plus, if you see backgrounds that are blurry or inconsistent, then this is a red flag since these types of backgrounds are very common in AI-generated images.

2. Watch out for scripted conversations and inconsistent stories

Keep in mind that scammers are always attempting to scam multiple people at once and that AI is not perfect. This means that chatbots may get confused and slip up on different stories.

Look out for signs like conflicting stories between messages or scripted, impersonal conversations. If they struggle to keep details consistent or frequently change their story, that’s a strong sign that they may not be sincere. If the conversation feels unnatural, like they give generic or off-topic answers, this is a clear sign that it may be a chatbot.

3. Be wary of fast emotional attachment

Scammers often target people who may be feeling lonely or vulnerable, using emotional manipulation to gain trust. Scammers using AI chatbots try to establish a fast emotional connection, sending affectionate messages almost immediately.

Be cautious if someone shows intense interest very quickly, declares love/love-bombs you, or seems too eager to establish a relationship with you. Even though this may seem exciting at the moment, you must be skeptical. Scammers are professional manipulators. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is.

The general rule of thumb here is if something feels “off,” then please trust your instincts.

4. Be skeptical if they request money or personal data

If a close friend would never ask for your Social Security number, then why would someone you just met on a dating app ask for this information? The most important thing to watch for is if they ever ask for your personal data.

After weeks or even days of love-bombing, scammers often escalate quickly to financial requests that are always connected to an emergency. This is the signature of dating scams. They claim personal emergencies that require your financial help immediately, like their car broke down and they need to get it fixed.

Other red flags to watch out for include asking for gift cards, wire transfers, or any personal data like SSN, bank account, address, etc. Some scammers try to convince you to buy cryptocurrency, then send you to a fake website where you’ll lose your money.

Other behaviors you should pay attention to spot AI dating scams are the following:

• They push to leave the dating app immediately
• They send you a link (never click on links, always check the URLs)
• They avoid live video or try to manipulate video calls, claiming a bad connection
• If you video chat, check for unnatural facial movements or voices that may sound “too perfect” or robotic

How to keep your identity and personal info safe

The good thing is that there are a few steps you can take to keep your identity safe from scammers.

The first one, even though it seems obvious, is to be mindful of the information you share online. Avoid posting personal details on social media, such as your home address, phone number, the names of your relatives, your favorite stores, or vacation plans. Scammers and AI tools can use this information to craft believable messages or impersonate someone you know.

Just as important is adjusting your privacy settings. For example, you can make your profiles private, restricting who can see your posts and personal data. A popular setting is to hide your friends' list and always verify new contacts carefully. Take time to vet new friends or matches and look for the signs we mentioned in the previous section.

Finally, use unique passwords for all your accounts, enable two-factor authentication when possible, and avoid clicking links in messages from unknown contacts. Always be suspicious of links because scammers often send phishing links that can steal your login credentials or install malware.

Keep in mind, we’re not trying to scare you from dating online or using social media, but helping you stay alert. When you understand how scammers operate, it becomes much easier to recognize red flags and avoid falling for their tactics. This way, you can filter out fake profiles and spend your energy on real humans.

How can IDShield® help protect your identity?

Identity theft protection services like IDShield can provide additional support. The following are some of our services that can help protect your identity when dating online:

• Social Media Monitoring: IDShield monitors popular social media platforms for information that may put your privacy at risk, such as home address, email address, date of birth, and Social Security number.
• Password Manager: This tool can create unique, tough-to-hack passwords, manages and encrypts passwords, and helps block dangerous websites.
• Financial Threshold Account Monitoring: Receive an alert on financial withdrawals, balance transfers, and large purchases on your financial accounts that exceed a set monetary amount.
• Dark Web Internet Monitoring: IDShield provides extensive scans of online sources for identity data and sends real-time alerts, that you set, if your Personal Identifiable Information (PII) is found.

Paying attention to red flags, combined with our ongoing monitoring, gives you stronger protection against and response to your identity being compromised by scams. Learn more about how IDShield can help protect your identity.

About the Author: Alicia Baquero, Senior Content Creator at LegalShield, creates informative content to help readers navigate legal and identity protection topics. She focuses on simplifying complex concepts into practical guidance for individuals, families, and small businesses. Alicia contributes to educational content for the blog and sales enablement content for B2B.

Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. (“LegalShield”) provides access to identity theft services through membership-based participation. IDShield is a product of LegalShield. All Licensed Private Investigators are licensed in the state of Oklahoma. The information made available in this blog is meant to provide general information and is not intended to provide professional advice, render an opinion, or provide a recommendation as to a specific matter. The blog post is not a substitute for competent and professional advice. Information contained in the blog may be provided by authors who could be third-party paid contributors. All information by authors is accepted in good faith; however, LegalShield makes no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of such information.