Forward of Valentine’s Day, cybersecurity specialists are warning shoppers to be cautious on-line, whether or not they’re searching for love or making an attempt to seize a final minute present.
Why do scams enhance round Valentine’s Day? Anne Cutler, Cybersecurity Professional at Keeper Safety, notes: “Valentine’s Day is without doubt one of the best moments of the 12 months for love scams to succeed, largely as a result of persons are extra open to connection. When feelings run excessive, warning usually slips quietly into the background, and scammers perceive precisely methods to use that to their benefit.”
Notably, this week, researchers from Verify Level Software program introduced that they’d recognized a pointy rise in Valentine-themed area registrations, a lot of that are suspected to be phishing websites, fraudulent shops and pretend relationship platforms designed to steal private information and cost data. From March to December 2025, new Valentine-related domains averaged 474 monthly. However in January 2026, registrations jumped to 696 (a 44% enhance). In simply the primary 5 days of February, researchers detected 152 extra domains, an extra 36% rise in day by day common in comparison with January. Nearly all (97.5%) stay unclassified, which means they might be activated for malicious use at any second. Worryingly, attackers construct these domains round widespread search phrases, like “Valentine’s Day items,” designed to be a focus for customers in a panic.
But it surely’s not simply dodgy web sites that buyers must look out for, Roger Grimes, CISO Advisor at KnowBe4, warned that there’s a surge in AI-enabled romance scams which have reshaped what we historically consider as romance rip-off purple flags. Grimes notes: “Romance scams have developed into a totally AI-enabled enterprise. Scammers are not simply utilizing stolen images; they’re creating complete faux identities, real-time video personalities on Zoom and WhatsApp, and automatic dialog bots that construct deep emotional belief over months.”
Particularly, Grimes suggests three scams to maintain a watch out for:
- The Demise of the Photograph Check: Scammers can now immediately generate a picture of themselves holding a selected newspaper or standing in a selected location, making it not possible to confirm identification by means of media alone.
- Deepfake FaceTime: Actual-time video calls are not a assure of security. Scammers use dwell face-swapping and AI voice synthesis to carry complete conversations with out human enter.
- The Superstar Impact: When scammers masquerade as celebrities, victims are sometimes so emotionally invested that they proceed to ship cash, typically taking out second mortgages or stealing from household, even when introduced with exhausting proof (like a star being married or in a special nation).
New analysis from TSB underscores exhibits the size of the difficulty. The analysis discovered that in 2025 there was a 15% rise within the variety of instances of romance fraud, with the worth with the worth of funds despatched to fraudsters growing by 37%. On common, victims ship 11 funds per case, dropping £7,500 earlier than the rip-off is uncovered.
So, how does it occur? Anne Cutler from Keeper Safety mentioned: “What tends to catch individuals off guard is how atypical these interactions really feel at the beginning. The profile appears to be like plausible, the dialog flows naturally and the eye feels regular somewhat than intense. In lots of instances, that sense of consolation builds regularly over days and even weeks, which is fully intentional. Romance scammers hardly ever ask outright for passwords or cash, as a result of that will instantly elevate suspicion and convey the interplay to an finish.”
“As an alternative, the shift occurs nearly unnoticed. A hyperlink is shared in the middle of dialog. There’s a cause to log in to one thing acquainted. The web page appears to be like like a service you acknowledge and should have used many instances earlier than, nevertheless it’s really a lookalike web site designed to seize data the second it’s entered. Nothing dramatic occurs, and there’s no apparent sign that something has gone flawed, however entry has already modified fingers,” Cutler continues.
Cyber specialists are emphasising that buyers ought to stay “sceptical” of potential lovers and ‘too good to be true’ websites and affords.
Grimes concludes: “As we head into probably the most romantic time of the 12 months, the recommendation from specialists is evident: be sceptical of anybody who’s “too excellent,” and keep in mind that whereas AI can simulate love, its solely true purpose is the underside line.”
Devoted organisations, like LoveSaid, can help victims of romance scams.
