Glossary · Safety
Romance scam
A romance scam is fraud in which the offender builds a romantic or close relationship online under a false identity in order to obtain money, gifts, cryptocurrency or financial access from the victim. It is the costliest category of consumer fraud by reported losses in the United States. The borrowed or generated photos on the profile are its weakest point and the reason reverse image and face searches are standard advice.
Updated November 6, 2026 · 2 min read
How big is it?
| Year | Source | Reported losses | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | FTC Consumer Sentinel | USD 1.3 billion | Record at the time; median individual loss USD 4,400 |
| 2024 | FBI IC3 Annual Report | about USD 672 million | Confidence and romance category; 17,910 complaints |
| 2025 | FBI IC3 Annual Report | about USD 929 million | Category ahead of phishing and ransomware by losses |
| 2025 | FTC | over USD 1.16 billion | Reported in early 2026; most losses go unreported |
How does the script run?
- Contact on a dating app, social platform or a "wrong number" text, with a profile built on borrowed, stock or AI-generated photos.
- Rapid intimacy and a reason meeting is impossible: deployment, an oil rig, a hospital abroad.
- A crisis or an opportunity: customs fees, a medical bill, or an investment that is paying off (the crypto variant is called pig butchering).
- Escalating requests, then pressure, then disappearance or a second scam posing as recovery help.
Why do the photos matter?
Most scam profiles reuse real people's photos: service members, doctors, influencers, models. A reverse image search finds the same picture elsewhere; a reverse face search finds other photos of the same person under their real name, which survives cropping and filters. Scammers now also use faces generated by AI, which leave no trail, so a clean search does not clear a profile; a live video call and the money rule do. The person in the stolen photos is a victim as well and is not the scammer.
What law applies?
Fraud statutes everywhere; wire fraud and money laundering charges in the United States when the money trail allows. Platforms are not liable for the scam but have report routes for the fake profile, listed in the report impersonation directory. Recovery of money is rare; agencies warn that "recovery services" asking for an upfront fee are a follow-on scam.
Questions
Will a face search tell me if my match is a scammer?
It can show that the photos belong to someone else, which is strong evidence. It cannot confirm a person is genuine, and AI-generated photos return nothing. Treat it as one check beside a live video call and a refusal to send money.
I sent money. Can I get it back?
Sometimes, if you contact your bank or the crypto exchange immediately. Report to the fraud agency in your country regardless; it builds the record used to prosecute.
Sources
- 1.FTC Data Spotlight, Romance scammers' favorite lies exposed (checked February 9, 2023)
- 2.FBI IC3, 2024 Internet Crime Report (checked April 23, 2025)
- 3.FTC, What To Know About Romance Scams (checked November 6, 2026)
Entry reviewed November 6, 2026. Found an error? Tell us.
Related entries
- Term Catfishing Catfishing defined: a false online identity built on borrowed photos, how it differs from a romance scam, the signs, and the photo check that exposes it.
- Term Sextortion Sextortion defined: blackmail with intimate images, who is targeted, the first steps that stop it, the laws and removal routes, and the limits of a face search.
- Directory Helplines for image abuse, scams and online harm, by country Helplines and reporting portals for image abuse, sextortion, romance fraud, stalking and crisis in the US, UK, India, Canada, Australia and Europe.
- Directory Where to report a fake or impersonating account Official impersonation report routes for 13 platforms, from Instagram and Facebook to Tinder and Telegram, with who can file and what each asks for.
- Term Reverse face search Reverse face search defined: a query by face rather than by image file, how it differs from reverse image search, what a result contains, and which engines offer it.
Cite this entry
FaceSearch Wiki editors. "Romance scam". FaceSearch Wiki, updated November 6, 2026. https://facesearch.wiki/glossary/romance-scam/