US consumers reported losing roughly $1.48 billion to romance scams in 2025, according to the Federal Trade Commission, a 22% increase over the prior year and the latest point in a growth curve that has climbed nearly twentyfold since 2016. The median individual loss sits around $2,000, though that figure is pulled down by smaller losses even as some victims lose six or seven figures, making romance scams the highest aggregate loss category of any imposter fraud tracked by federal regulators.

Why do romance scams work even on people who consider themselves cautious?

Because the entire scheme is built around emotional pacing rather than obvious red flags. A romantic connection that moves from introduction to deep intimacy within weeks, entirely through online messages, is operating on a timeline specifically designed to compress the gap between first contact and financial trust. By the time a money request arrives, the relationship already feels real enough that skepticism feels like a betrayal rather than a reasonable response.

What are the six warning signs to watch for?

1. The relationship is moving unusually fast without any in-person contact. Raise the pace as an observation rather than a suspicion, framing it around how quickly things have moved rather than doubting the other person directly, since that framing tends to land without triggering defensiveness.
2. The person consistently avoids real-time video contact. A broken camera, dropped calls, and timing that never lines up are recurring features of these schemes. Asking for a spontaneous, unscheduled video call at a moment the other person cannot prepare for remains one of the clearest available tests, though it is worth knowing this signal has gotten less reliable recently.
3. Their story involves a profession that explains permanent unavailability. Military deployment overseas, oil platform engineering, international medical work and foreign aid roles are the identities most often used because they come with a built in excuse for why meeting in person or sticking to plans never works out. Verifying specific details independently, rather than relying on information the other person supplies, is the most grounded way to confirm anything.
4. A financial request has arrived, even a small one. The first ask is typically modest and urgent, a medical bill, a shipping fee, a frozen account, designed to set a precedent before amounts grow. Any financial request from someone never met in person should be treated as a decisive signal regardless of size, and both the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov accept reports.
5. Their photographs appear somewhere else when searched. Running profile images through Google’s reverse image search or TinEye takes under two minutes and often reveals the same photos attached to a different name elsewhere online, frequently borrowed from models, military personnel or public social media accounts. Doing this search together with a loved one, rather than alone, tends to make the result feel like a shared discovery instead of surveillance.
6. They are spending less time with family and friends. Scammers actively encourage isolation because loved ones are the most likely source of intervention. Someone becoming less available, more protective of their phone, and more resistant to discussing the relationship may be in a phase where emotional dependence is being deliberately deepened. Consistent, non confrontational contact tends to work better than expressing alarm, which can accelerate the isolation rather than interrupt it.

Is the video call test still as reliable as it used to be?

Less than it once was. FBI data shows romance scams involving artificial intelligence, including AI generated or manipulated video and voice, cost victims more than $19 million across 626 reported complaints in 2025. That means a scammer occasionally appearing on a brief video call is no longer automatic proof of legitimacy the way it was a few years ago, which makes the other five warning signs, particularly unverified professions and financial requests, more important as a combined pattern rather than relying on any single test alone.

How has the payment method shifted over time?

Cryptocurrency has overtaken both gift cards and wire transfers as the leading payment method in romance scams, now accounting for roughly a third to over 40% of reported losses depending on the year measured, compared to gift cards’ earlier dominance. That shift matters practically, since cryptocurrency transfers are generally far harder to reverse or trace than a wire transfer or gift card purchase once money has moved.

Who is actually most at risk?

Adults 60 and older account for a disproportionate share of losses, roughly 63% of total reported romance fraud dollars despite representing a much smaller share of total complaints, according to FBI data. A separate AARP survey found about 1 in 10 adults 50 and older, an estimated 11 million Americans, have encountered a romance approach online that ended in a request for money or cryptocurrency investment, with adults 50 to 64 actually facing higher exposure rates than those over 65.

Why don’t more victims come forward?

Shame and uncertainty about where to report keep the vast majority silent. Multiple federal and consumer studies estimate that as few as 1 in 15 to 1 in 20 romance scam victims ever file a report, meaning the billions in losses tracked by the FTC and FBI represent a floor rather than the true scale of harm.