AI-powered romance scams, called chatfishing, are rising fast and have already caused billions in losses worldwide.
Scammers use realistic AI photos, videos, and emotional chats to build trust before asking for money or personal details.
Experts warn users to avoid sharing money or private information and be careful if an online relationship feels too perfect.
Digital heartbreak is transforming into a billion-dollar criminal enterprise. As generative technology matures, dating platforms are witnessing a surge of hyper-realistic fake profiles specifically designed to exploit lonely users. According to recent data, romance scams cost Americans over $1.3 billion last year alone. This growing threat is frequently referred to as a ‘chatfishing’ scam. These highly advanced AI bots have the capacity to replicate human emotions and engage in lengthy conversations, making it extremely difficult for the average person to detect. The main victims of this online trap are usually isolated individuals, especially young men who are seeking genuine human interaction. With the increasing sophistication of these scams, the cost to the victims continues to reach unprecedented levels.
How does the chatfishing scam work?
A study of over 1,500 flagged profiles reveals that modern AI does not just chat. Instead, it mirrors a victim’s interests, linguistic style, and emotional cadence. These bots are programmed for the long game. They build trust over several weeks before requesting money, gifts, or sensitive personal data.
While AI has polished the script, the visuals are also deepfake technology has improved very quickly, as today, scammers can create very realistic photos, videos, and even voice recordings using artificial intelligence. These fake images and sounds can look and feel almost real, which makes online scams harder to detect. Because of this, it is important to pay close attention to small details.
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One of the signs is the presence of ocular inconsistency; as in normal pictures, the eyes should reflect light in a similar manner. The small light spot in each pupil should also appear similar. However, in AI-generated pictures, the eyes might appear slightly different or unnatural because the AI may not be able to make the reflections perfectly similar.
Another sign is the presence of glitches in deepfake video calls. You may notice some glitches, such as flickering around the jawline and face. In some cases, the lighting may suddenly change when the person moves his or her head. These sudden changes in lighting can be a sign that the video is not real.
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Lastly, watch out if a person gets very close to you very quickly. Some fake AI profiles might ‘love bomb’ you. This is when they display a lot of love or strong feelings in a short period of time. When a person rapidly expresses very sweet or intense statements, it may be an indication that they are not genuine. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
India and chatfishing scam
The problem is especially serious in India, as many young people are working and using the internet more than before, which gives scammers more chances to cheat them.
Scammers often pretend to be non-resident Indians (NRIs) or army officers so that people trust them easily. Police officers who handle online crime say that many victims lose lakhs of rupees before they realise that the person they were talking to online was never real.
How to protect yourself from chatfishing scam
It is always important for users to check the identity of people they meet online. Users should never trust profiles that seem too perfect or respond immediately to messages at any time of the day. When making video calls, users should ask the person to react naturally by turning their head or waving their hand.
Most importantly, do not share personal details, explicit photos, or money with someone you have never met in real life. Take your time before trusting anyone emotionally. Experts say the biggest warning sign today is perfection. If a connection feels too perfect, it probably is a scam.
