Valentine’s Day is almost here. Love is in the air, the group chats are buzzing, and your dating apps are looking livelier than usual. But while you’re wondering whether to open with a joke or a compliment, some people have something else on their mind entirely: how to get into your wallet.
Yep – romance scams are back in season. And thanks to new, smart AI tools, these tricks are evolving fast and are way harder to spot. We’re not talking about blurry stolen selfies or dodgy Photoshop jobs now. Today’s scammers can create fake people with flawless faces, perfect smiles, and profiles that look too good to be true. Which is because they are!
The good news is that once you know what to look for, you can happily date without the risk of getting emotionally (or financially) mugged. So, let's break it all down…
The modern ‘Romeo’: what is a romance scam?
At its core, a romance scam is pretty simple. Someone builds a connection with you under a fake identity, with the goal of eventually asking for money, personal info, or access to your accounts. But the reason these scams work so well is because they don’t usually start with asking for anything at all. Instead, they start with feelings. And clued-up scammers know exactly how to stir those up…
Love bombing 101.
If your latest match is declaring their undying love for you within 24 hours—calling you ‘soulmate material’ before they even know your last name, or pushing you to jump over to WhatsApp or text messages straight away—stop for a second and think. A whirlwind romance might be fun in a rom-com, but in real life, it’s almost always a tactic.
The smartphone trap.
Scammers rely on one-to-one messaging because it feels intimate. It makes you drop your guard. When someone’s texting you goodnight and cute memes, you start to trust them. But if that intensity feels a little bit much a little too fast, you should trust your gut.
Red flags to swipe left on.
Not sure what else to watch out for? Well, the classic techniques are alive and kicking…
- The sudden emergency.
Everything seems to be going great… until they have a sudden crisis. It could be a cancelled flight or a big credit card bill. And they’ll say things like ‘I wouldn’t normally ask, but you’re the only one I can trust’. If someone you’ve never met is asking for money to get them out of a sticky situation, take that as your cue to back away immediately.
- The glitchy camera excuse.
They’re happy to text. A call is ok too. But video chat? No way. Their camera’s broken, their Wi-Fi’s down, or they’re just shy. Somehow, every excuse on earth shows up at once. And that’s why they can’t show their face on screen. This screams that the person you’re speaking to isn’t who they say they are.
- Weird payment requests.
A real love interest won’t ask you to send money via gift cards, crypto, bank or wire transfers, or ‘temporary holding accounts’. If the payment method sounds like something straight out of a thriller movie, you should use that block button ASAP.
Catfishing 2.0: how to spot the new AI fakes;
Forget the old 'count the fingers' trick. Today’s AI tools can create near-perfect hands, eyes, everything! But perfect is the problem. Real people aren’t perfect…
- The ‘born yesterday’ profile.
AI can create a flawless-looking face, but it can’t create a believable history or background though. Check their profile over for tagged photos with friends, older posts going back years, comments from seemingly real people, and a mixture of candid shots. If their existence only seems to have started last month or their profile has three high-resolution model-esque photos, that’s plain dodgy. You’re probably not chatting with a real person.
- The ‘uncanny valley’ background.
Yes, faces are getting harder to spot as fakes. But the room behind the face? Not so much. Take a closer look at strange shadows, melty-looking objects, dream-like architecture, fancy rooms straight out of a 5-star hotel, or scenery that doesn’t match our dreary UK weather (a sunny rooftop pool in February?!). If the background feels like something from an Instagram travel reel rather than a real room in a real house, your instincts are probably right.
- The coffee date ultimatum.
This is the ultimate test. Suggest meeting up for a simple coffee in a public place. Not a holiday. Not a fancy dinner out in town. Literally just a short coffee date at your local caff. If they’re real, they’ll probably say yes. If they’re fake, they’ll say they are away for work, stuck on an army base, working offshore, or simply haven't got the cash to travel. If they can’t hang out each time you try to organise something, call it off.
Keep your heart safe this February.
The romance scams are definitely getting smarter, but so are you. Remember to slow it down if the lovin’ moves at warp speed, check their digital history to ensure they have a past, and if they can’t even meet for a coffee, don’t send any money. And of course, if something seems even just a tiny bit off, it likely is.
Got any tips we’ve missed? Tell us about them in the comments down below!
