- There has been a surge in AI-related romance scams
- 17% of people believe somebody they know has been approached by an AI chatbot on dating apps or social media
- Almost half of British people believe it is possible to develop feelings for an AI chatbot
Valentine's Day may be approaching fast (it’s this Friday, in case you were wondering), but for singletons, the already hellish landscape of the online dating world has an added tech-fueled nightmare they have to look out for. Rather than simply being a timewaster, it’s quite possible that the person you've been flirting with online might not even be human.
According to new research by McAfee, there has been an alarming rise in AI-driven romance scams. Nearly 17% of people (roughly one in five) say that somebody they know has been approached by an AI chatbot posing as a real person on a dating app or social media.
"Technology has revolutionised communication by enabling instant connections across the globe, fostering deeper relationships and collaboration regardless of physical distance – but unfortunately, it's also transforming the way scammers operate," said Vonny Gamot, Head of EMEA at McAfee.
Love is a battlefield
It seems that even people who work in cybersecurity for a living can fall victim to AI romance scams. Take Rob S, a cybersecurity professional, who thought he had made a connection with somebody: “We met in a group chat and really hit it off. After exchanging numbers, we started texting and getting to know each other.”
His suspicions were raised when his potential romantic partner started asking for money: “When she asked for more money, I started to notice the red flags. Her messages were repetitive, her number didn’t make sense for her location, and I realised I might have been speaking with a bot – or, at the very least, a scammer.”
“Looking back, a lot of her messages were generic and didn’t feel personal. That’s when it hit me – there was a real chance I wasn’t even talking to a person.”
One in two British people could fall for an AI
According to the McAfee survey, almost half (46%) of British people believe it's possible to develop romantic feelings for an AI chatbot.
With this in mind, McAfee has a few tips on how to stay safe when looking for love online this Valentine’s Day:
Firstly, if it’s too good to be true, then it probably is. Red fags are: people avoiding video calls, moving conversations off-platform quickly, or declaring love too soon.
Make sure you verify the person’s identity as soon as you can. Do a reverse image search on their profile picture and check social media activity to confirm they are real.
Remember, scammers will use small details like your birthday or pet name to guess passwords, so be vigilant. Never send money or gifts.
Finally, if you have an AI PC, then you can take advantage of McAfee Deepfake Detector to alert you of deepfake audio within videos.
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