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FBI Warns of Romance Scams Ahead of Valentine’s Day
The FBI cautions that AI-enhanced scams are exploiting emotional vulnerability, with over 18,000 romance fraud reports and $672 million lost nationwide in 2024.
- With Valentine's Day on Saturday, the FBI Norfolk Field Office and consumer protection officials warned on Feb. 12, 2026 that romance scams spike around this holiday.
- By building trust quickly, fraudsters profess strong feelings and avoid in-person meetings, claiming overseas work as scams unfold over weeks or months on dating websites, apps and social media.
- Data show over 2,000 people lost more than $112 million last year, and Montana victims report thousands lost, including Rita who said `I lost about $90,000 dollars, which is a big chunk`.
- Authorities urge victims to report suspected fraud to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, contact local FBI field offices or law enforcement, avoid sending money, and verify identities with reverse image searches.
- Law enforcement cautions that overseas perpetrators make recovery unlikely, as Shepherd said, 'What we find most often is these are foreign scams. You’re not going to find someone that you can go and, you know, put handcuffs on if you will, in another state or even in this country. So, it is a lot of overseas types of scams, so the possibility of actually making a recovery is really, really low,' and Keener added that AI can generate realistic deepfakes within about 10 to 15 seconds.
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'It's a crazy world out there': Information security officer talks online scam safety in age of AI
With Valentine’s Day spotlighting love and connection, experts say it’s also a time to be aware of romance scams. One cybersecurity professional and Metropolis native is sharing how to spot scammers — and how AI is changing these scams.
Especially around Valentine's Day, romance scam factories are operating at full capacity. The financial, but also the emotional damage can be immense.
·Berlin, Germany
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Total News Sources56
Leaning Left5Leaning Right5Center27Last UpdatedBias Distribution73% Center
Bias Distribution
- 73% of the sources are Center
73% Center
14%
C 73%
13%
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