As Valentine’s Day approaches, romance scams are hitting Raleigh-Durham inboxes and DMs, with fraudsters cultivating fake online relationships for weeks or months before requesting money. The pattern is familiar: victims are asked to buy gift cards, send cryptocurrency, or transfer funds quietly — making it extremely difficult to recover losses. Officials and reporters say scammers are now using AI-generated text, voices, and videos, making these fake partners feel eerily real.
AI Makes Scams Harder To Spot
According to ABC11, Brian Long, an AI scam expert and CEO of Adaptive Security, says artificial intelligence now lets fraudsters spin out highly tailored, emotionally charged messages almost instantly. What used to require days of digging through social media and trial-and-error outreach can now be cranked out in seconds, which means scammers can scale up their manipulation and juggle many victims at once.
How The Schemes Work
The Better Business Bureau reports that romance scams typically start with a wave of flattery and a quick rush to intimacy, then shift into urgent pleas for money. The BBB also found that more than 26% of investment scams began with a fake romantic relationship, turning affection into a gateway to bigger financial schemes. Other classic warning signs include someone who refuses to meet in person, pushes hard to move conversations off a dating site or app, or asks you to buy gift cards, transfer funds, or handle cryptocurrency for them.
Federal Data And Official Warnings
Federal data highlight just how costly these cons can be. The Federal Trade Commission says romance and imposter scams have led to more than $1 billion in reported losses in recent years, with gift cards and cryptocurrency among the most expensive payment methods for victims. The FBI urges people never to send money to someone they have not met in person and to report suspected scams so investigators can spot larger criminal networks behind the scenes.
How To Protect Yourself
Experts say the most powerful move is to slow everything down and demand proof. Run a reverse-image search on profile pictures, insist on a live video call, and do not wire money or buy gift cards for anyone you only know online. As ABC11 notes, you can even paste suspicious messages into AI tools like ChatGPT or Google Gemini and ask whether the style or tactics resemble known scam patterns. If something feels off, save screenshots and transaction records, cut off contact, and get a gut-check from a trusted friend or family member.
Where To Report
If you think you have been targeted or already sent money, authorities say to act quickly. File a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3 and report your losses through the FTC’s ReportFraud portal. You can also log what happened on the Better Business Bureau’s Scam Tracker to help other local consumers spot patterns. Contact your bank as soon as possible to ask about reversing transactions or freezing accounts, and alert local law enforcement if you feel threatened or extorted.
