Artificial intelligence is playing an increasingly prominent role in online dating, with many Americans turning to AI to enhance their dating profiles and write love messages on Valentine’s Day. Unfortunately, AI tools are also making it easier for scammers to create fake dating profiles and con unsuspecting victims, McAfee said on Monday.
McAfee’s “Modern Love” survey, which involved 7,000 respondents from seven countries worldwide, revealed that up to one-third (31%) of Americans have interacted with a potential love interest that turned out to be a catfish.
A separate survey from Kaspersky, published on Monday, echoes similar findings — with up to 42% of the respondents admitting they’ve encountered scammers on dating apps and 24% falling victim to romance scams.
Valentine’s Day-related scams are not limited to dating sites and apps. McAfee found that there has been a 25% rise in malware campaigns, a 300% increase in malicious URLs, and a 400% jump in romance-themed spam, particularly around Valentine’s shopping and gifts.
“With love-seekers spending more time online leading up to Valentine’s Day, scammers are using AI to pose as love interests to steal money or personal information,” Steve Grobman, McAfee’s Chief Technology Officer, said.
46% of Americans Don’t Think They Can Identify AI-Generated Love Messages
Many Americans know that cybercriminals are using AI to create fake dating profiles, but nearly half (46%) of the respondents said they’re unsure they can identify AI-generated love messages. Up to 64% of the respondents also expressed distrust towards AI-generated profiles.
Among the respondents who have interacted with scammers on dating sites, 57% were asked to transfer money soon after meeting a love interest online, with some requests exceeding $1,000.
Meanwhile, 11% reported being asked for passwords, 20% to share their birth date, 23% to share an intimate photo or video, and 10% were asked to share a social security number or something similar. Disturbingly, up to 90% of the respondents in Kaspersky’s study said they’re willing to share or consider sharing passwords that will reveal their location to potential love interests.
On a brighter note, McAfee found that many respondents are taking the time to check if their potential love interests are real people or scammers. A notable 59% of the respondents said they routinely use social media to research potential partners, with 38% employing reverse image searches on profile images to verify authenticity.
Similarly, Kaspersky found that 34% of Americans Google or check the social media accounts of people they’ve just started dating. While this is good practice, Kaspersky said there’s a tendency for some people to take it “a bit too far” — about 23% of the respondents said they’d been victims of cyberstalking.
“Anyone who signs up for a dating app should be aware of the risks that exchanging information and interacting with strangers can mean for them in the short and long term. Access to personal data such as address, place of work, name, telephone number, etc., by malicious people, increases the risks of transferring threats from the virtual world to the physical one,” Eduardo Chavarro, director of the Incident Response and Digital Forensics Group at Kaspersky, said.
How to Protect Yourself From AI-Aided Romance Scams
While AI tools can help people craft catchy messages and love letters, they can also aid romance scams.
In October 2023, researchers at Avast uncovered a ChatGPT-powered tool used to con unsuspecting victims on dating sites. Named “LoveGPT,” it can simulate authentic conversations and fabricate fictional memories, making scams much harder to detect.
To protect yourself from these sophisticated romance scams, McAfee recommends scrutinizing messages for AI-generated content, performing reverse-image searches on profile photos, and refraining from sending money or sharing personal information with contacts you haven’t met in person.
Kaspersky also recommends using strong, unique passwords and enabling multi-factor authentication across your accounts.
The cybersecurity company also emphasized the importance of exercising caution when sharing information with strangers, choosing public, well-lit venues for first meetings, taking charge of your transport, and creating a check-in system with friends for safety.
Read our guide to safe online dating for more useful tips.
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