Attorney General Mayes Warns Arizonans about Romance Scams and Shares Tips on How to Protect Yourself from AI Fraud

PHOENIX – With Valentine's Day being celebrated tomorrow, Attorney General Kris Mayes is warning Arizonans to stay vigilant against romance scams, which are surging nationwide thanks in part to new artificial intelligence tools that make it easier for scammers to defraud people. Every year, tens of thousands of Arizonans turn to dating apps and social media hoping to find a connection—but too often, they find a con artist or increasingly even AI being used to defraud them instead.

"Everyone deserves to find love—but unfortunately, scammers are exploiting that desire at an alarming rate," said Attorney General Mayes. "What's especially concerning this year is how scammers are using AI-generated photos, deep fake videos, and even voice-cloning technology to appear more convincing. I'm urging all Arizonans to learn the red flags of romance scams to protect both your heart and your wallet. If you or a loved one has fallen victim to one of these schemes, my office stands ready to help."

Romance scams are one of the costliest forms of fraud in the country. Nationally, the FTC opened more than 65,000 romance scam cases last year with total reported losses of $3 billion—an average of roughly $5,000 per victim.

The FBI reports that scammers are increasingly using AI to generate realistic photos, videos, and voice messages, as well as to write emotionally persuasive messages that mimic genuine relationships.

Experian has identified AI-powered romance scams as one of the top five fraud threats of 2026, warning that emotionally intelligent bots can now carry out scams around the clock without a human behind the keyboard.

These scammers create fake profiles on dating apps, dating sites, and social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. They work quickly to build trust—sometimes chatting or calling multiple times a day—and come across as caring and believable. Once trust is established, they fabricate circumstances and ask for money.

Among the most common lies romance scammers tell: a friend or relative is sick, hurt, or in jail and they need emergency funds. Other frequently reported tactics include the scammer claiming to have a lucrative investment opportunity to share, saying they are deployed in the military overseas, or needing help making an important delivery. Increasingly, scammers are also luring victims into fraudulent cryptocurrency investment platforms—a tactic known as "pig butchering"—where victims believe they are watching their investments grow before the platform and the scammer disappear.

Warning signs:

• Someone who professes love unusually quickly.
• Someone who claims to be a soldier, doctor, or other heroic figure stationed far away.
• Someone who repeatedly makes plans to meet in person but always cancels or has an excuse.
• Someone who creates urgency around a sudden request for money.
• Someone who asks you to wire money, load gift cards and share the PIN codes, send cryptocurrency, or pay through a money transfer app.
• Someone who insists on moving conversations off the dating platform to apps like WhatsApp or Telegram.
• Someone whose photos or video calls seem slightly off—AI-generated deep fakes can now smile, nod, and react convincingly, but may have subtle visual glitches.

Tips to protect yourself:

• Never send money—including wire transfers, gift cards, or cryptocurrency—to someone you have only met online.
• Be cautious about what you share on social media. Scammers mine personal details from your profiles to tailor their approach and build false trust.
• Do a reverse image search on profile photos. If the images appear under different names or on unrelated sites, you are likely dealing with a scammer.
• Watch for inconsistencies in a person's story or gaps in their background details.
• Talk to family and friends. A trusted outside perspective can help you see warning signs you might miss.
• Remember that even video calls are no longer proof of identity—AI deepfake technology can create realistic video in real time.
• If you believe your relationship is a scam, stop all contact immediately.
• Trust your instincts. If something feels too good to be true, it probably is.

If you are a victim of a romance scam, you can file a complaint with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at www.ic3.gov or report fraud to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

If you believe you have been the victim of consumer fraud, you can file a consumer complaint with the Arizona Attorney General's Office at www.azag.gov/consumer. If you need a complaint form sent to you, contact the Attorney General's Office in Phoenix at (602) 542-5763, in Tucson at (520) 628-6648, or outside the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas at (800) 352-8431.