By SDCN Staff
San Diego, CA–As Valentine’s Day approaches, FBI San Diego is warning the public to exercise caution when pursuing relationships that begin online.
While February is often associated with romance, federal officials say scams tied to online dating can happen at any time of year. The agency is encouraging anyone who is contemplating — or already involved in — a relationship with someone they met online to remain vigilant and take steps to protect themselves.
In romance scams, also called confidence fraud, a criminal uses a fake online identity to gain a victim’s trust and affection. The scammer convinces the victim they have real feelings for them, either romantic or a close relationship (friend or family). However, this is a ruse that they ultimately exploit to trick the victim into sending money, personal or financial information, items of value, or unknowingly launder money for them.
In 2025, more than 250 victims from the San Diego area reported losing more than $9.6 million in romance scams. And these numbers may not be telling the whole story as oftentimes victims are too embarrassed or ashamed to report it to law enforcement, family or friends. In 2024, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center collected nearly 18,000 confidence and romance fraud reports from victims across the U.S. for a total loss nationwide of more than $672 million.
The full 2025 annual report is expected later this year, but will show fraud and romance scams victimizing Americans in their communities.
According to the FBI, romance scammers are experts at what they do. They spend hours honing their skills and sometimes maintain detailed journals to better understand how to manipulate and exploit their victims. They use well-rehearsed or scripted schemes to deceive vulnerable individuals looking for love or companionship. Some romance scammers use AI-generated content—images, videos, voices—to help them and their profiles appear more believable and to assist foreign criminals with language translation, which can expand their scheme on a much larger scale against numerous individuals around the world.
After establishing a connection, romance scammers use different tactics to keep their hooks in and convince their victims to do whatever they ask. They may quickly endear themselves to gain trust, sometimes proposing marriage. The scammers often make plans to meet in person, but the con turns into one excuse after another, such as work on overseas projects making it too difficult to travel. These tales make it easier for them to avoid actually meeting in person while also appearing disappointed.
These schemes also make it more plausible for romance scammers to ask you for money, like to purchase plane fare to come visit, cover unexpected or urgent work expenses, or assist with medical emergencies or foreign legal fees. Sometimes romance scammers may introduce their targets to a lucrative but secretive investment opportunity. Then implore the victim to act quickly to send substantial sums of money but forbid them from telling family or friends about the investment.
“If you are on dating or other online social apps or have already met someone online and want to get to know them better, we implore you to “Take a Beat.” Slow down and think things through before reacting on emotion alone. Be aware of red flags that may arise, do your due diligence in learning about who the person says they are, and proceed with guarded caution,” FBI San Diego stated in the department’s news release.
