AI Chatbots Fuel Rise in Romance Scams: McAfee Study Reveals Alarming Trends

51% of Indians have been catfished by an AI chatbot

A McAfee study reveals a significant increase in AI-driven romance scams, with 70% of online daters targeted for money and gifts. Among Indians, 51% encountered AI chatbots posing as real people, undermining trust in potential matches. Fake profiles, celebrity impersonations, and sophisticated, emotionally compelling messages are prevalent tactics.Are you being catfished by a chatbot? Is the person you're swiping right on an amalgamation of multiple profiles? An alarming study by McAfee has found an increase in AI-driven romance scams, fraudulent dating apps, and deepfake deception. A significant 70 per cent of people have either been scammed out of money, valuables, or other assets, or been pressured to buy gifts or send money by someone they met online, the company found. McAfee surveyed 7,000 adults in the US, UK, France, Germany, India, Japan, and Australia recently, and found that at least 51 per cent of Indians say that they or someone they know has been approached by an AI chatbot posing as a real person on a dating platform or social media. 28 per cent of individuals said they found themselves conversing with what they believed was a potential love interest, only to later discover it was an AI-generated bot. "84 per cent of Indians say online dating scams including deepfake audio, video, and imagery, and text and email scam messages, have impacted their ability to trust potential matches," says Pratim Mukherjee, senior director of engineering, McAfee. "As we navigate the complexities of the digital age, it's crucial to remain vigilant and continually educate ourselves about the ever-evolving online scams." If someone avoids video calls, moves conversations off-platform quickly, or declares love too soon, proceed with caution, Mukherjee said. This doesn't extend to only "matches". 69 per cent of Indians, McAfee found, have encountered 'fake profiles' and/or photos that look AI-generated on dating websites or apps, or on social media. 42 per cent of individuals reported that they or someone they know has been approached on social media by someone claiming to be a celebrity or a well-known figure. [One way to counteract fake profiles is to reverse image search profile pictures and check social media activity to confirm if they are who they claim to be.] "Many of these scammers operate from overseas and don't speak fluent English," said Satnam Narang, senior staff research engineer at cybersecurity company Tenable. "AI helps them craft sophisticated, emotionally compelling messages that make their scams more believable and harder to detect." Elderly individuals, former military personnel, and those seeking financial arrangements are said to be among the most vulnerable to romance scams.

Don't fall for these AI chatbot scams this Valentine's Day - here's how they could play with your heart strings

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. 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." 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.