Watch Out for Romance Scams on Valentine’s Day & Every Day

Today is Valentine’s Day, a time for love, flowers, and chocolates. Sadly, it’s also a money-making opportunity for fraudsters looking to scam unsuspecting victims.

Romance scams and other fraudulent schemes surge around at this time of year, leaving victims emotionally and financially devastated.

Techopedia explores the scope of the problem and offers strategies to combat these scams.

Table of Contents Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways
2. A Nasty Valentine's Day Surprise
3. Valentine's Day Scams in Numbers
4. How Scammers Turn Valentine's Day into a Financial Nightmare
5. Red Flags of Online Dating
6. The Bottom Line
7. FAQs
8. References

Show Full Guide

Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways
2. A Nasty Valentine's Day Surprise
3. Valentine's Day Scams in Numbers
Show Full Guide
4. How Scammers Turn Valentine's Day into a Financial Nightmare
5. Red Flags of Online Dating
6. The Bottom Line
7. FAQs
8. References

A Nasty Valentine’s Day Surprise

It’s February 14. You receive a message from James, a charming executive claiming to be working with an international charity. After exchanging warm and chatty messages, you feel excited and stir in your heart for the first time in years.

By February 20, James has had an emergency — his bank account has been frozen, and he needs $5,000 to return home. Sharing what you thought was a romantic connection, you innocently wire the money to him.

A week later, he’s gone. You’ve been left heartbroken and $5,000 poorer.

This isn’t just bad luck; it’s part of a growing Valentine’s Day scam that preys on those seeking love.

The story above is fictional, but it tells the reality of these Valentine’s scams, which are all too real as far as the victims are concerned. Scammers take advantage of people’s feelings and, of course, Valentine’s Day is an opportunity to con victims out of money.

It starts with a fake profile with usually stolen photos of people, builds to some level of rapport, and then a switch of gears to ask for money.

There is the story of Kate Kleinert, a Pennsylvanian widow who fell for a “surgeon” who, during his scam, even had his “children” emailing to ask if they could call her “mom.” The virtual romance led to her losing $39,000 of her life savings.

Over in Scotland, AdviceDirect put out an alert on February 12, 2025, after a mother suffered a suspected heart attack after she was conned out of £17,000 by a scammer on a dating website.

The mother was using dating apps when she met an American professional.

AdviceDirect said: “Over several months, they built trust, speaking frequently and having video calls that appeared to confirm his identity before she agreed to send him £17,000.

“Last May, the man told her he was traveling to Northern Ireland and suggested they meet. By August, he claimed his bank account had crashed and asked her for £17,000 to buy machinery for a job.

“She initially refused but later transferred the money after he sent his bank and passport details.”

Once she realized she was being scammed, she reported the case to the police and has been receiving support from AdviceDirect. Despite that, “the man continued trying to contact her, demanding more money.”

The thousands of stories littered across the local press in the last two decades usually read like these examples — and usually end in the same way, with money being sent and the victim being “ghosted”.

How Scammers Turn Valentine’s Day into a Financial Nightmare

Scammers turn online dating into a hunting ground, from artificial intelligence generated images, stolen identities, and scripted messages make deception easier. Many victims don’t realize they’re being tricked until too late.

Dating platforms struggle to keep up and, even with advanced technology, fraudulent accounts slip through. The immorality of attacking people at their most vulnerable is abhorrent, but there are always grifters and, once money is sent, recovering it becomes a nightmare.

Red Flags of Online Dating

Fast declarations of love, financial requests, and inconsistent stories are all Red Flags and should raise alarms. If someone you’ve never met asks for money, pause, step back, and question their intentions.

Dating apps must also step up. More substantial verification processes and AI-driven fraud detection could filter out scammers before they cause harm. A safer experience should be a priority, especially when people seek genuine connections.

Valentine’s Day should be about love, not deception. Awareness and better security measures can prevent heartbreak and financial loss. No one should have to question whether affection is genuine or a carefully crafted lie.

There are several types of Valentine’s Day scams, each with methods of deception:

What’s frightening is that no one is immune to these Valentine’s Day scams. Even the most skeptical people can fall victim — because scammers quickly become experts at exploiting human emotions.

The Bottom Line

Valentine’s Day is a day of real connection, but some people with malicious intent are starting to turn the digital world into a playground for scammers.

Don’t worry; this isn’t a call to avoid all online dating or distrust every romantic gesture; it’s a warning to be aware that love and technology are a recipe for romance and deception.

Protect your heart and your wallet  — and for those on the dating game, good luck!

FAQs