Americans lost over $672 million from romance scams in 2024, with one in four encountering fake profiles or A.I. chatbots.
Scammers create personas based on victims’ social media posts, build trust by mirroring victims’ likes and emotions, and ask for money through hard-to-recover methods.
Scammers sweeten messages using A.I.-generated photos and scripts, but signs like mismatched backgrounds or extra fingers in photos can reveal A.I. use.
To detect A.I. deepfakes in video calls, ask the caller to move their camera around the room or perform simple movements to test tracking capabilities.
Kerry Tomlinson advises victims to research the person, run reverse image searches, and not trust anyone online without meeting them in person.
