The scale measured by the FTC
In its 2025 annual report on internet crime, the FBI ranks romance scams among the categories causing the most financial harm, alongside investment scams and fake tech support — with people 60 and older as the hardest-hit group across all fraud categories combined ($7.7 billion in losses in 2025 for this age group).
Source: FBI, Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), 2025 report.How contact starts
According to data aggregated by the FTC for 2025, nearly 60% of people who reported a loss from a romance scam say the first contact happened on a social network, before moving to a private messaging app — a shift that takes the conversation out of the reach of any platform moderation.
Source: FTC, 2026 Data Spotlight on social-media-related scams.The mechanism, not the judgment
🕐Manipulation built over time
The bodies that document these patterns stress one point: it's not an isolated lapse in judgment, but progressive manipulation, sometimes carried out over weeks or months, before any request for money. Trust is deliberately built before being exploited.
🎭Profiles tailored to each target
The FTC documents that approaches are often personalized based on the target's public profile information, before introducing financial urgency — a sudden crisis, or conversely an investment tip presented with confidence.
This report doesn't cover the cryptocurrency side of romance scams — a topic in its own right, deliberately left out here and reserved for a dedicated editorial piece.
Frequently asked questions
Do romance scams mostly target gullible people?
No — the bodies that document these scams stress that they rely on progressive, professionalized manipulation techniques, not a lack of judgment on the victim's part. Anyone can be exposed to them.
Where do these scams most often begin?
Nearly 60% of people who reported a loss from a romance scam in 2025 said the contact began on a social network, before moving to a private messaging app.
Does this report cover cryptocurrency-related romance scams?
No, deliberately. The financial side of crypto-linked romance scams (sometimes called "pig butchering") is a topic in its own right, reserved for a dedicated editorial piece.