AI chatbots are increasingly becoming more common in online dating scams as Valentine's Day inches closer.
Cybersecurity firm Arkose Labs reported a growing trend of scammers using more sophisticated tools like AI generation and chatbots on dating apps with an uptick of 2087% between January 2023 to January 2024.
CBS News first reported the findings.
The surge coincided with chatbots and AI image generation becoming more accessible to the general public.
Dating Scams on the Rise with AI
Just in 2022, the Federal Trade Commission recorded nearly 70,000 people reported of being a victim of a romance scam.
The financial loss from the scams is estimated to rack up to $1.3 billion, or at least $18,571 per victim.
Many of the financial transactions made in these scams were through cryptocurrency, making it more difficult for authorities to track down the perpetrators.
It is worth noting, however, that many scammers engage with their targets on social media rather than on dating apps where security from impersonation is more lenient.
With scammers using fake identities to dupe their unsuspecting victims, the FTC expects that the numbers will continue to grow in the following years as AI remains unregulated.
How to Spot AI Chatbot Scams on Dating Sites
That said, there are still ways to look out for potential romance scammers both on social media and dating apps.
The FTC already warned the public to be cautious with accounts immediately asking for money or personal favors that may potentially be a scammer.
Since most scammers use fake identities, it is also recommended to try to use reverse image search or AI scanners to see if their profile picture is legitimate.
If the scammer is using a chatbot to communicate, spot any inconsistencies or odd behaviors in their messages that may indicate that they might not actually be a human.
The FTC suggests people encountering romance scammers immediately report the account to the platform or go to ReportFraud.ftc.gov for a formal complaint.
