It’s Valentine’s Day weekend, and there’s nothing scammers love more than stealing our money, even if that means pretending to be someone’s love interest.
According to research from Barclays, 2025 saw a 20 percent increase in romance scams from the previous year. Investigators say many of the people targeted are vulnerable and often searching for connection.
“And it's a sad deal because a lot of the folks that are preyed upon are lonely. They're older, retired, perhaps a loved one has died, and so they're susceptible to it,” said San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow.
In 2025, victims, mostly between the ages of 40 and 66, reported meeting scammers on dating apps, Facebook, or Instagram, with losses exceeding $40 million in California alone.
Experts say there are several red flags people should watch for before emotions and money get involved.
“Check your instincts. If it seems too good to be true, you should definitely slow down and just be aware that there are bad people out there that are looking to victimize people on these sites,” said Cliff Steinhauer with the National Cybersecurity Alliance. “If the person is really, really far away, maybe in another country or too far away to ever meet in person reasonably, that's kind of a red flag too. Then another red flag is when money becomes involved, and that usually won't be the first couple of conversations.”
The FBI warns that these fraudsters often never intend to meet in person. Instead, they may use stories like foreign work assignments or sudden crises to manipulate victims into sending cash.
To protect yourself, officials say never send money, gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency to someone you’ve only met online. They also recommend doing a reverse image search on profile photos to check if they appear elsewhere on the internet.
If you suspect a scam, cut off contact immediately and report it to local police, the FTC, or the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.
