How it works
First contact
A friendly, attractive stranger messages you on social media, a dating app or a game.
Trust
Messages every day. Compliments. Plans for a life together. They move you to WhatsApp or Telegram.
Excuses
They can never meet. Work abroad, army posting, a broken camera.
The ask
A sudden emergency: hospital bills, bank debts, customs fees, a plane ticket. Small at first, then bigger.1
How AI makes it worse
AI can create faces of people who do not exist. In a peer-reviewed study, people spotted AI faces only 48% of the time, no better than guessing.2
Fake faces and voices can now appear in live video calls.3
What the evidence says
Warning signs
- You have never met, in person or on a live video call.
- They say “I love you” very quickly.
- They ask you to keep the relationship secret.
- Money comes up, for any reason: gift cards, crypto, prepaid coupons, transfers.
Protect yourself
- Never send money to someone you have only met online. No exceptions.
- A video call is no longer proof. A request for money is.
- Tell a friend or relative about the relationship.
- No result in a reverse image search does not prove the person is real.
See a demonstration
Inside a romance scam chat
Scroll through a scripted chat. Each trick is explained as it happens.
Real or AI? The face game
Can you tell real faces from AI-made ones? Most people can’t.
Advice on this page follows official guidance from the sources below.
Sources
- Official sourcePorter plainte pour une escroquerie aux sentiments (THESEE)
- Peer-reviewed studyAI-synthesized faces are indistinguishable from real faces and more trustworthy
- News reportBritish engineering giant Arup revealed as $25 million deepfake scam victim
- Charity or child-protection bodyFBI Report: Internet Crime Losses Hit $20.9 Billion (investment, crypto, tech support and romance scams caused the most damage)
- Official sourceFraud Prevention Month: Canadians lost over $704 million to fraud in 2025