Bots looking for love: How new romance scams are costing victims thousands [Video]

(InvestigateTV) — The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported the median loss to a romance scam is around $2,000.

But experts warn scam artists now using deep fakes to earn people’s trust, adding a new twist to romance scams.

David Maimon, who runs the Evidence Based Cybersecurity Group at Georgia State University in Atlanta, has been closely monitoring how fraudsters are using AI to gain people’s trust and commit fraud.

“We see many actors, both local actors but also global actors, infiltrating dating apps,” Maimon explained. “Looking for profiles on Facebook. On Tinder. On other platforms they have access to, taking the images from those profiles. Establishing fictitious profiles.”

The reported losses to romance scammers total 1.14 billion, according to the FTC,the highest reported losses for any form of imposter scam.

Melanie McGovern with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) said victims should not feel embarrassed.

“It’s interesting because romance scams are underreported,” McGovern noted. “Because a lot of times people …