It started with a DM.
For five months, 25-year-old computer programmer Maggie K. exchanged daily messages with the man she met on Instagram, convinced she had found something real.
When it was finally time to meet in person, he never showed. Instead, he claimed he missed his flight and needed money to rebook. Desperate to finally see him, she sent the cash.
Then, silence. His accounts vanished. He hadn’t just ghosted her—he had never existed at all.
“I ignored my gut feeling… I sent him $1,200. Then he disappeared,” Maggie told McAfee, hoping that her story would educate others. “When I reported the scam, the police told me his images were AI-generated. He wasn’t even a real person. That was the scariest part – I had trusted someone who never even existed.”
How AI is making romance scams more sophisticated
These scams work because they prey on trust and emotions. And they aren’t just targeting the naïve; anyone, even tech professionals as Maggie’s case shows, can be fooled.
McAfee’s latest research reveals more than half (52%) of people have been scammed out of money or pressured to send money or gifts by someone they met online.
And romance scams aren’t just happening in dating apps anymore. Social media, messaging platforms and AI chatbots are fuelling an explosion of online romance fraud.
McAfee’s findings highlight a staggering rise in:
- AI-powered scams: More than 1 in 4 people (26%) say they—or someone they know—have been approached by an AI chatbot posing as a real person on a dating app or social media.
- Fake romance scam websites: In the seven weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day, McAfee blocked a staggering 321,509 fraudulent URLs designed to lure in victims.
The costs: your time, money, trust and personal data
With 62% of people saying they’ve used dating apps, social media, or messaging platforms to connect with potential partners, scammers have a bigger pool of victims than ever before.
Younger users are the most active online daters, with 31% of 18-24-year-olds currently using online dating platforms. Tinder is the most popular dating app overall (46%), with its highest engagement among 18-24-year-olds (73%). Just over 40% of respondents said they use Instagram, 29% use Snapchat and 25% use TikTok to meet potential partners. But these platforms also present new risks, as fake apps designed to steal personal information lurk in app stores.
McAfee researchers found nearly 11,000 attempts to download fraudulent dating apps in recent months. The most impersonated?
Downloading a fake app could expose your login credentials, financial information or even install malware onto your device.
And once money is lost, its rarely recovered, as scammers use cryptocurrency, untraceable gift cards and offshore accounts to move stolen funds.
Recognizing romance scam red flags
McAfee researchers urge anyone looking for love online to stay vigilant by following these critical safety measures:
1) Watch for “love bombing.” Scammers overwhelm victims with affection early on to gain trust.
2) Verify their identity. Use reverse image searches and insist on live video calls which AI-generated scammers avoid.
3) Never send money. No real partner will pressure you for financial help—especially when you’ve never met.
4) Be wary of celebrity DMs. If a famous figure suddenly messages you, it’s likely a scam.
5) Avoid suspicious links. McAfee blocked over 321,000 fraudulent dating sites—avoid clicking on unknown links or apps.
6) Use online protection tools. Tools like McAfee+ can detect and block suspicious messages, phishing attempts, and AI-generated fraud in real time. McAfee+ offers maximum identity, privacy, and device protection to detect and prevent fraudulent activity before it causes harm.
