Relationship and trust · Also called AI romance scam, deepfake video call romance, AI-generated dating profile
Deepfake romance scam
A deepfake romance scam is a romance scam that uses AI to seem real: generated profile photos, chat scripts written by AI, and sometimes live face-swapped video calls or cloned voices. It removes the old tell of a partner who never video calls, but still ends with requests for money or investments.
How it works
- The scammer builds a profile with AI-generated or stolen photos that do not appear in a reverse image search.
- AI tools help them write fluent, personal messages to many victims at once.
- When the victim asks to see them, the scammer joins a short video call using face-swap software or sends a cloned voice note.
- With doubts removed, the scammer asks for money for an emergency or steers the victim into an investment.
Red flags
- Video calls are very short, blurry, or keep cutting out.
- Faces look unnaturally smooth, with odd teeth, eyes, or hands, or lip movement that does not match the words.
- The relationship moves fast and soon turns to money, travel costs, or an investment opportunity.
- They avoid meeting in person even after a video call, and ask you to keep things secret.
If you are targeted
- Stop contact and do not send more money, even if you have seen them on video.
- Contact your bank or payment provider about any payments you have made.
- Save the profile, messages, and any videos or voice notes, and report the account to the platform.
- Report it. Our Report a scam page lists where to report in your country, such as ic3.gov and ReportFraud.ftc.gov in the US.
- Expect recovery scams: anyone who contacts you offering to get your money back for a fee, including people claiming to be lawyers, regulators, or the FBI, is running a second scam.
Prevention
For individuals
- Do not treat a video call alone as proof of who someone is, and never send money to someone you have not met in person.
- Look for small imperfections in photos and video, such as distorted hands or feet, unrealistic teeth or eyes, and speech out of sync with lips.
- Tell a friend or relative about the relationship before any money is discussed.
For organisations
- Dating platforms can add liveness checks for profile verification and flag accounts reported for requesting money.
- Banks can ask customers sending money to an online partner whether they have met in person.
By the numbers
Figures are for the reporting category this scam falls under, not this scam alone.
| Confidence and romance scam losses reported to the FBI IC3 in 2025 | $929.3M | US, 2025, FBI IC3 |
| Losses in FBI IC3 complaints mentioning AI in 2025 (overlaps other categories, never summed) | $893.3M | US, 2025, FBI IC3 |
| Romance scam losses reported in Australia in 2025 | A$139.9M | AU, 2025, ACCC |
Real cases
2024-10 · HK · Alleged · HK$360M estimate
Hong Kong police break a deepfake romance scam syndicate, 2024
Delivered through: Voice phishing (vishing)
How official datasets classify it
- FBI IC3
- Confidence/Romance
- FTC
- Romance Scams
- UK Finance
- Romance scam
- Scamwatch
- Relationship scams
Questions
- Can a romance scammer fake a video call?
- Yes. The FBI warns that criminals use AI to generate video for real-time chats and realistic images for fake profiles, so a video call alone does not prove who someone is.
- How can I tell if a video is a deepfake?
- Look for distorted hands, unnatural teeth or eyes, and lips out of sync with speech. Good fakes can hide these, so the safest rule is never to send money to someone you have not met.