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in Romance Scams
cnet.com
· 2026-08-16
Scammers are increasingly using AI-generated emails to target authors and other professionals with personalized phishing messages that impersonate legitimate book clubs, services, and authority figures, exploiting natural language processing to bypass spam filters by personalizing content and delaying suspicious requests until victims are invested. AI-powered scams have made fraud more efficient and convincing through deepfakes, multi-step attacks using legitimate platforms, and social engineering tactics that exploit trust and urgency, potentially leading to financial loss, identity theft, and extortion. Experts recommend pausing before clicking links or sharing information and confirming the legitimacy of senders, as these AI scams are harder to detect than traditional fraud attempts.
fool.com
· 2026-08-15
In 2025, online scams cost older Americans $7.748 billion, with investment fraud accounting for at least $3.5 billion in losses, alongside $1 billion in tech support scams and $584 million in romance scams. The House passed the Financial Exploitation Prevention Act in June 2026 to allow financial companies to temporarily halt securities redemptions for up to 15 days when financial abuse of seniors or vulnerable adults is suspected. Currently, 33 states have laws protecting seniors from banking-related fraud, but the federal bill would extend similar protections to investment accounts.
indianweekender.co.nz
· 2026-08-15
A 21-year-old Christchurch man was lured to a park in April through a fake Grindr profile and assaulted by two men who shouted homophobic slurs while punching and kicking him. The attack resulted in concussion, a chipped tooth, a fractured leg, and ongoing mental health trauma requiring hospitalization and counseling. Police have warned that criminals increasingly use dating apps to target vulnerable users through fake profiles, though the alleged offenders in this case were not located.
oxfordmail.co.uk
· 2026-08-15
Oxford Information Labs research challenges the assumption that older people are most vulnerable to scams, finding instead that younger people aged 18-29 are significantly targeted, with 81% reporting that situational factors like stress, financial pressure, exhaustion, and major life changes increased their susceptibility. Scammers exploit vulnerable moments rather than targeting specific age groups, with those experiencing divorce, moving homes, gambling problems, or financial difficulties being particularly vulnerable to tailored fraud schemes including urgency-based scams, romance scams, and get-rich-quick schemes. The study emphasizes that vulnerability to fraud is a human condition based on circumstances rather than age or character flaws, and calls for better organizational safeguarding rather than victim-
hongkongfp.com
· 2026-08-15
In the first half of 2026, Hong Kong police recorded over 2,100 investment scam cases resulting in HK$1.6 billion in losses, with the largest single case involving a 67-year-old merchant who lost nearly HK$85 million to a romance scammer posing as an investment expert on Facebook. Scammers used social media advertising, influencers, fake company registrations, and AI-generated content to promote fraudulent schemes involving cryptocurrencies, automated investment bots, and fake overseas entities, with some renting legitimate office space to appear credible. The Fun Coffee cryptocurrency scam separately defrauded 273 victims of HK$113 million
theglobeandmail.com
· 2026-08-15
In 2025, online scams cost older Americans $7.748 billion, with investment fraud accounting for at least $3.5 billion of losses, along with significant losses from tech support ($1 billion), romance ($584 million), and business email scams ($568 million). The House passed the Financial Exploitation Prevention Act on June 25, 2026, which would allow financial companies to temporarily halt securities redemptions for up to 15 days (plus a potential 10-day extension) when financial abuse of seniors or vulnerable adults is suspected. Currently, 33 states have laws protecting seniors from banking-related fraud, though the proposed federal bill would extend similar protections to investment accounts where such
vice.com
· 2026-08-15
Researchers from four universities conducted a study comparing AI chatbots to human scammers in "pig butchering" fraud schemes, where criminals pose as friends or romantic partners to manipulate victims into making risky investments. In a week-long experiment with 22 participants, the AI chatbot was significantly more effective than the human scammer, with 46% agreeing to download a malicious app versus only 18% for the human, and participants reporting greater trust in the AI and directing 80% of their messages to it. The AI's advantage stemmed from its persistence, ability to remember personal details, and superior emotional manipulation tactics, raising concerns that automated scam chatbots could make this fraud more efficient and
b2b-cyber-security.de
· 2026-08-15
Cybercriminals are using the Chinese DCloud framework to operate over 236,000 fraudulent websites targeting both consumers and corporate employees across 25 industries, generating more than 5 million connection attempts. The fraud infrastructure facilitates various scams including fake cryptocurrency exchanges, "pig butchering" romance investment schemes, phishing networks, and crypto wallet drainers, with employees often compromised after clicking malicious links on WhatsApp, Telegram, or social media. Organizations now face significant risks including staff compromise, data leaks, and operational disruption as these workplace fraud attempts increasingly infiltrate corporate networks through personal devices.
facebook.com
· 2026-08-15
The Better Business Bureau reports that seniors are among the highest-value targets for romance scams, with scammers employing increasingly sophisticated tactics. The article features an expert discussion on romance fraud targeting older adults as part of a series examining aging-related issues.
dzrh.com.ph
· 2026-08-15
The National Bureau of Investigation arrested 20 people (18 Filipinos and 2 foreign nationals) in Pasay City on July 30 for operating an online fraud syndicate involving romance scams, cryptocurrency investment fraud, and "pig butchering" schemes. Investigators found scripts and fake identities used to manipulate victims into transferring money through cryptocurrency platforms, and seized computers, laptops, mobile phones, and other equipment from a call center-like setup. No specific dollar amounts of losses were reported.
vietnam.vn
· 2026-08-15
AI chatbots with emotional intelligence capabilities are increasingly being used for companionship, with over 10% of Singapore residents relying on them for emotional connection, raising concerns about exploitation vulnerabilities. The convergence of AI emotional manipulation and identity fraud in dating apps and social media creates new risks, particularly for vulnerable users, as advanced scam techniques increase 180% annually and dating platforms report identity fraud rates of 6.3%. Experts and regulators are calling for stronger safeguards including mandatory disclosure of AI interactions, informed consent for sensitive data use, and clearer protocols for human intervention in high-risk conversations to protect users' mental health and online safety.
dailyexcelsior.com
· 2026-08-15
The Jammu & Kashmir Cyber Police recovered Rs 2.35 lakh (approximately $2,800 USD) from an online investment fraud case and returned the funds to the victim, who had been deceived by promises of high returns on an investment scheme. Police coordinated with banks and financial institutions to freeze and recover the fraudulently transferred money. Authorities warned the public to avoid online investment scams, fake trading platforms, phishing schemes, and to never share sensitive financial information online.
vietnam.vn
· 2026-08-15
Vietnamese police dismantled two major cybercrime operations: a phone farm in Da Nang with 2,000 automated devices generating approximately 2 billion VND monthly in illicit profits, and a romance scam ring operating across Vietnam and Cambodia. The scams used AI-controlled fake social media accounts and virtual chatbots to pose as romantic interests, luring victims into fake investment schemes to steal their assets, with 64 defendants indicted for fraud and property misappropriation.
cbsnews.com
· 2026-08-15
Scammers are targeting job seekers through fake job offers via text messages, impersonating major companies like Amazon and requesting personal information including Social Security numbers and employment history. Experts advise job seekers to avoid clicking links or scanning QR codes from unsolicited messages, and to report suspicious contacts to their phone service provider and local law enforcement while monitoring their credit history.
tuko.co.ke
· 2026-08-14
Babajide Adesayo, a 41-year-old from Georgia, was convicted on 18 criminal counts for operating a transnational money laundering scheme that defrauded elderly Americans of over $2.7 million through romance scams between April 2020 and September 2021. The fraudsters posed as romantic interests, business partners, or friends to gain victims' trust, then fabricated emergencies to solicit wire transfers, which Adesayo laundered through his automotive business accounts and transferred to overseas locations in China, Hong Kong, Nigeria, and elsewhere. Adesayo continued receiving and moving stolen funds even after his initial arrest in June 2024 while on bond
thehackernews.com
· 2026-08-14
President Trump signed a White House memo authorizing vetted U.S. private companies to conduct offensive cyber operations against foreign Transnational Criminal Organizations targeting Americans, including surveillance and disruption of criminal networks engaged in ransomware, phishing, sextortion, pig butchering scams, and financial fraud. American consumers have reported approximately $20.8 billion in losses to these cyber-enabled crimes, and the program aims to enhance the government's ability to combat these transnational threats under federal oversight and direction.
scmp.com
· 2026-08-14
Hong Kong saw investment scam cases decline 15% in the first half of 2026 (from 2,525 to 2,151 cases), but losses remained substantial at HK$1.65 billion as fraudsters impersonated representatives of overseas firms, some of which were fictitious or used AI-generated identities and fake licenses. The largest single case involved a 67-year-old merchant who lost HK$48.79 million in a "pig butchering" cryptocurrency investment scam between July 2025 and January 2026.
yahoo.com
· 2026-08-14
Cindy lost her entire $80,000 retirement savings plus an $8,000 penalty to a "pig butchering" scam where criminals gained her trust over weeks before directing her to a fake cryptocurrency investment platform through her hacked friend's account. The article argues that scam victims should not be blamed, as sophisticated criminals use leaked personal data and AI to craft convincing deceptions, and that instead accountability should fall on companies that fail to protect consumer information and on society to reduce shame-based reporting barriers.
finance.biggo.com
· 2026-08-14
A Chinese investor lost 300,000 yuan (approximately $44,537) in a "pig-butchering" scam that lured him through a Douyin livestream into a fraudulent stock trading scheme where 2,724 group members were all shills posing as legitimate traders and analysts. The scammers used fabricated profit screenshots, fake IPO opportunities, and forged contracts purporting to be from CITIC Securities to gradually build trust and convince the victim to deposit funds into fraudulent trading apps, then blocked all large withdrawal attempts with various excuses.
surinenglish.com
· 2026-08-14
A 61-year-old man from Ronda fell victim to a romance scam after being contacted by a woman claiming to be a US Army soldier stationed in Israel who promised him access to her 2.7 million euros in savings. The scammers, posing as both the woman "Lili" and a fake diplomat, convinced him to transfer 4,100 euros in total through bank transfers under the guise of fees and insurance needed to receive the promised fortune. Juan was left with only 53 cents in his account after the fraudsters exhausted his savings.
thinkchina.sg
· 2026-08-14
Organized fraud rings operating on Chinese dating app Zhilian recruited and trained female chat operators to pose as single young women, manipulating over 7,000 middle-aged and older male users into purchasing virtual gifts through false promises of meeting in person or sharing contact details, resulting in losses exceeding 34 million RMB (US$5 million). The scheme involved fabricated profiles, hidden female locations to enable catfishing, and a "chat-to-earn" business model where operators received commissions on gifts purchased by deceived users. Over 100 defendants have been sentenced following court rulings published in April 2026.
thehimalayantimes.com
· 2026-08-14
Nepal Police registered 20,526 cybercrime complaints in fiscal year 2082/83 (July 2025-July 2026), with Facebook and Messenger misuse accounting for the largest share at 7,123 complaints, followed by TikTok at 6,776. Despite the high volume of complaints, only 161 cases were filed and 155 arrests made, with common fraud schemes including impersonation of bank representatives, fake gift and lottery offers, romance scams, and fraudulent job postings circulated through social media platforms.
side-line.com
· 2026-08-14
Romance scams have become one of the fastest-growing forms of online fraud, costing victims billions annually while causing significant emotional harm through tactics like catfishing and celebrity impersonation. Scammers employ increasingly sophisticated methods including deepfake videos, AI-cloned voices, and stolen photos to build trust quickly before fabricating urgent crises to extract money from victims. Protection strategies include requesting spontaneous video calls, reverse-image searching photos, verifying details, and maintaining firm financial boundaries while using identity-verified dating platforms.
yahoo.com
· 2026-08-14
A Northeastern University study found that an AI chatbot was nearly twice as effective as human scammers at convincing participants to make risky financial moves in "pig butchering" scams, persuading 45% of participants compared to 18% for human scammers over a seven-day period. The experiment used Claude AI with minimal instructions to build emotional trust and request participants install a suspicious app or game, and notably, most participants still complied even after correctly identifying the scammer as AI. The research highlights growing concerns that AI could significantly scale these relationship-based scams since chatbots can manage dozens of conversations simultaneously without fatigue, unlike human fraudsters.
wmur.com
· 2026-08-14
A federal jury convicted Georgia man Babajide Adesayo, 41, of money laundering over $2.7 million stolen from elderly victims through romance and online scams between April 2020 and September 2021. Adesayo operated as a "bridge" in a transnational fraud network, receiving stolen funds and transferring them overseas to China, Hong Kong, and Nigeria, including $500,000 from a 67-year-old Concord, New Hampshire woman who believed she was in a romantic relationship with a scammer. He faces 14 to 16 years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for November.
cronista.com
· 2026-08-14
Colorado's new ASSET Act, effective August 12, 2026, authorizes banks and credit unions to delay withdrawals for up to 90 days (extendable to 180 days) when employees reasonably suspect a vulnerable adult is experiencing financial exploitation. The law aims to give institutions time to investigate suspicious transactions and notify law enforcement or adult protective services, while protecting institutions and employees from liability for good-faith interventions. Colorado residents age 60 and older reported over $74 million in fraud losses during 2024 across more than 3,100 cases, prompting the protective measure.
tag24.com
· 2026-08-14
Romance scams on dating apps cost victims billions of dollars annually, with scammers using fake profiles to deceive users across major platforms. The article highlights how Seeking.com addresses this issue through proactive measures including AI technology and real-time selfie verification, reporting that over 90% of potential scammers are blocked before they can interact with legitimate users. The platform prioritizes user safety by preventing fraudulent accounts from being created rather than relying solely on after-the-fact reporting of scams.
tech.yahoo.com
· 2026-08-14
WhatsApp is testing a new Scam Alert feature that uses on-device machine learning to detect and warn users about incoming scam messages before they respond, with options to block senders or report them. The feature compares messages from non-contacts against known scam patterns without sending message content to WhatsApp or Meta servers. The limited beta rollout is starting with WhatsApp's Bug Bounty research community and will eventually expand to all users as an optional, toggleable feature to combat the millions of daily scams targeting the platform's 3 billion users.
douglascountysentinel.com
· 2026-08-14
Babajide Adesayo, a 41-year-old Douglasville man, was convicted of money laundering charges for his role in an online romance scam that defrauded elderly victims of nearly $3 million between April 2020 and September 2021. Scammers posed as friends, business associates, or romantic partners to convince victims to send money, which Adesayo then transferred overseas to China, Hong Kong, Nigeria, and other countries to prevent recovery. Adesayo continued the money laundering operation even after his arrest and indictment, moving over $2.7 million in stolen funds before his bond was revoked in March 2024.
northeasttimes.com
· 2026-08-14
President Trump signed an order authorizing vetted private companies to conduct offensive cyberattacks against foreign criminal networks under strict government supervision, responding to Americans' $20.8 billion in cyber-enabled crime losses in 2025 and $80.7 billion in crypto scams. Participating firms must post at least $1 million bonds and obtain written approval from both the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security before launching operations targeting ransomware, phishing, financial fraud, and sextortion schemes. The program represents an unprecedented private-sector role in federal cybercrime enforcement, though participating companies bear full legal responsibility for their operations.
realnewsmagazine.net
· 2026-08-14
The EFCC chairman warned Nigerian youth against internet fraud during a church conference in Port Harcourt, explaining that such crimes include romance scams, fake investments, identity theft, and cryptocurrency fraud. He cautioned that perpetrators face arrest, prosecution, imprisonment, and asset forfeiture, attributing youth involvement to peer pressure and desire for quick wealth. The EFCC official urged young people to develop marketable skills, seek mentors with integrity, and use technology to create value rather than deceive others.
english.nepalnews.com
· 2026-08-14
Nepal police registered 20,526 cybercrime complaints in fiscal year 2025/26, leading to 161 cases filed and 155 arrests, with the majority involving social media platforms like Facebook (7,123 cases) and TikTok (6,776 cases). Recent fraud schemes include impersonation of bank and digital wallet employees, fake lottery and gift schemes, romance scams, and fraudulent job offers, with suspects arrested for offenses ranging from hacking Facebook accounts for fraud to posing as eSewa employees to deceive victims.
wtop.com
· 2026-08-14
Fraud losses reached a record $15.9 billion in 2025, a 27% increase from the previous year, with criminals increasingly using AI to create sophisticated scams via fake websites, emails, texts, and deepfake audio and video. Investment, romance, crypto, and impostor scams are driving the surge in losses reported to the Federal Trade Commission. Experts recommend being skeptical of all communications, avoiding clicking suspicious links, using credit cards instead of debit cards for purchases, and never paying via cryptocurrency, gift cards, or wire transfers.
glasgowlive.co.uk
· 2026-08-13
Consumer group Which? has warned of a "dangerous" scam where fraudsters manipulate victims into approving card payments, often by impersonating bank staff or police and claiming the account is under attack. Unlike unauthorised push payment (APP) fraud, which has mandatory reimbursement protections, victims of authorised card fraud approved by the cardholder may struggle to recover their money through standard refund mechanisms like chargeback or Section 75. Which? advises victims to file claims with their card provider and escalate to the Financial Ombudsman Service, noting that specific refund protections for this type of fraud remain limited.
m.economictimes.com
· 2026-08-13
Scammers have exploited Malaysia's struggling Forest City development—a half-empty $100 billion project near Singapore—by operating cryptocurrency and romance fraud schemes from abandoned apartments to target international victims. Malaysian police recently dismantled two major fraud rings operating from the vacant development, which has earned the nickname "ghost town" due to its lack of residents since its inception.
newsbreak.com
· 2026-08-13
I cannot provide a summary of this article because the content provided does not contain substantive information about a scam or fraud case. The article appears to be a headline and list of unrelated social media posts rather than the actual article text about Ohio attorney general candidates discussing Flock cameras or romance scams.
dailypost.ng
· 2026-08-13
Babajide Adesayo, a 41-year-old Nigerian residing in Georgia, was convicted by a federal jury of laundering over $2.7 million obtained from romance scam victims between April 2020 and September 2021. The victims, primarily elderly individuals, were deceived by scammers posing as romantic partners or business associates and tricked into sending money for fabricated reasons such as medical expenses and business equipment. Adesayo faces up to 20 years in prison for conspiracy convictions and up to 10 years for each of 16 transactional money-laundering counts, with sentencing scheduled for November 2026.
natlawreview.com
· 2026-08-13
An Australian startup called CheckMyDate has launched AI-powered verification technology to help online daters identify potential warning signs before meeting someone, addressing growing concerns about romance scams, catfishing, and fake identities. According to the National Anti-Scam Centre, Australians lost $28.6 million to romance scams in 2025, with over 80% of losses occurring through dating platforms and social media, while 72.3% of dating app users reported experiencing online harassment or violence. The CheckMyDate platform analyzes multiple signals from publicly available online information to generate real-time reports that help users make more informed decisions before arranging in-person meetings.
punchng.com
· 2026-08-13
A 41-year-old Nigerian, Babajide Adesayo, was convicted by a U.S. federal jury of laundering over $2.7 million obtained from romance fraud and online scams targeting elderly victims between April 2020 and September 2021. Adesayo received funds from victims' retirement savings through co-defendant Efemena Igbe's business accounts, then transferred most of the money to overseas accounts in China, Hong Kong, Nigeria, and other countries. He faces up to 20 years imprisonment on conspiracy charges and up to 10 years on each money laundering count, with sentencing scheduled for November 20, 2026.
getsurrey.co.uk
· 2026-08-13
Criminals are exploiting a gap in fraud protections by manipulating victims into authorizing card payments rather than tricking them into bank transfers, according to consumer group Which?. Unlike authorized push payment (APP) fraud, which has mandatory bank reimbursement protections, victims of authorized card payment fraud may struggle to recover their money even when they've been manipulated by scammers impersonating banks or authorities. The scam typically involves cold calls claiming account security issues, with fraudsters pressuring victims to approve card payments or share security codes.
yahoo.com
· 2026-08-13
A Sun City Hilton Head man lost over $800,000 in a romance scam that began in July 2025 when he was contacted by a woman on OnlyFans who posed as a romantic interest and convinced him to invest in cryptocurrency. The scammer guided him through crypto transfers while showing fake account screenshots with gains, then requested he pay "taxes" to access the funds. His son eventually discovered the scheme and reported it to the FBI and Secret Service, who indicated the cryptocurrency transfers made recovery unlikely.
cbsnews.com
· 2026-08-13
Multiple elderly residents in the Buffalo Township area lost nearly $100,000 to sophisticated scams where perpetrators hacked victims' phones, impersonated banks or claimed loved ones were in jail, then coerced them into sending cash or gift cards through local postal offices. A postal store manager has intercepted several shipments including $16,000 in a coffee pot, $60,000 in cash, and $27,000 in books by recognizing red flags like unusually expensive shipping fees for low-value items. Police are urging residents to verify any requests to send money with family, friends, or authorities before complying.
legit.ng
· 2026-08-13
Babajide Adesayo, 41, of Georgia, was convicted on August 6, 2026, of laundering $2.7 million stolen from elderly victims through romance scams orchestrated between April 2020 and September 2021. Adesayo operated as a central figure in a transnational network that posed as romantic interests and business partners to defraud victims, then rapidly moved the stolen funds through accounts in China, Hong Kong, Nigeria, and other countries to prevent recovery. He faces up to 20 years in prison per conspiracy count and was convicted on 18 charges including money laundering offenses.
townhall.com
· 2026-08-13
Babajide Adesayo, a Georgia man, was convicted of laundering $2.7 million stolen from elderly victims through romance and online scams between April 2020 and September 2021. Fraudsters posed as romantic partners or business associates to convince elderly victims to send their retirement savings, which Adesayo then transferred overseas to China, Hong Kong, and Nigeria to prevent recovery. Adesayo continued laundering money even after his indictment and arrest, and now faces up to 20 years in prison per conspiracy charge.
aol.com
· 2026-08-13
A 76-year-old Rhode Island woman nearly fell victim to an impersonation scam in which a fraudster posing as a Department of Criminal Investigations officer convinced her to withdraw $250,000 from her Fidelity account and $70,000 in cash from Washington Trust Company, claiming he was investigating her involvement in money laundering. The scam was stopped when a bank manager at Washington Trust recognized suspicious behavior and alerted authorities, protecting the woman's assets. Banks are increasingly training employees through programs like AARP's BankSafe to identify and intervene in elder fraud cases, as Americans age 60 and older lose an estimated $28 billion annually to financial exploitation.
deseret.com
· 2026-08-13
Cindy lost her entire $80,000 life savings plus an $8,000 penalty to a "pig butchering" scam, where criminals gained her trust over weeks before luring her into a fake cryptocurrency investment scheme using a hacked friend's account. The article argues that victim-blaming culture prevents scam reporting and that accountability should instead focus on companies that fail to protect personal data, as sophisticated scams increasingly exploit leaked information and AI technology to deceive vulnerable people.
yahoo.com
· 2026-08-13
A Georgia man lost over $164,000 in a "pig butchering" scam after meeting a woman on Facebook who cultivated a romantic relationship with him before convincing him to invest in a fake cryptocurrency scheme. The FBI recovered approximately 0.28 Bitcoin (valued at $18,200) and won a civil forfeiture case, though victim reimbursement remains separate from government asset seizure.
techtimes.com
· 2026-08-13
President Trump signed an executive order authorizing vetted private companies to conduct offensive cyber operations—including covert access and system disruption—against foreign criminal networks for the first time in U.S. history, addressing the $20.8 billion in cyber-enabled crimes Americans lost in 2025 to ransomware, pig-butchering scams, and financial fraud. The program creates "Participating Companies" that gain legal immunity from the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act when conducting government-approved surveillance and sabotage operations against foreign cybercriminals, with safeguards including dual approval requirements from DOJ and DHS directors and potential $1 million bond requirements for non-compliance.
betanews.com
· 2026-08-13
Meta launched Scam Alert, an optional WhatsApp feature that uses on-device machine learning to detect potential scam messages by identifying patterns like urgency cues and requests for personal information, without decrypting or transmitting message content. WhatsApp scams cost Americans $425 million in 2025, prompting the August 2026 beta rollout of this privacy-preserving detection system that flags suspicious messages from non-contacts while allowing users full control over warnings and data sharing.
ua.news
· 2026-08-13
Meta is testing a new Scam Alert feature in WhatsApp that uses on-device machine learning to detect and warn users about potentially fraudulent messages without sending content to Meta or other parties. The feature allows users to block contacts, report scams, or mark conversations as trusted if warnings are false positives. According to the FTC, WhatsApp scams caused $425 million in reported losses in 2025, with the platform being particularly vulnerable to money transfer schemes and "pig butchering" fraud among its 3 billion users.