Janice R. Andrews
Ahead of Valentine’s Day, Meta is urging users to stay vigilant against romance scams, where fraudsters pose as celebrities or military personnel to exploit unsuspecting victims. The company revealed it has already removed 116,000 accounts linked to such scams in 2025, following the takedown of over 408,000 accounts in 2024.
Romance scams, though not new, continue to evolve. Scammers create fake profiles, often impersonating attractive, successful individuals, to build online relationships. Once trust is established, they request payments in the form of gift cards, cryptocurrency, or other methods. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), victims lost over $500 million to these scams in 2021 alone.
Meta reports that many of these fraudulent accounts originate in West African countries. Scammers typically target users on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, posing as U.S. military members or celebrities. They initiate conversations, claiming to seek love, before eventually asking for money.
To combat these schemes, Meta has reintroduced facial recognition technology to tackle celebrity impersonation and collaborates with other organizations to dismantle organized scam networks. However, David Agranovich, Meta’s director of threat disruption, emphasized that scammers are constantly adapting their tactics.
The rise of AI has further complicated the issue. Rachel Tobac, CEO of SocialProof Security, highlighted that scammers now use free, accessible tools to create deepfake videos and voice clones, making their fake personas more convincing. “These tools allow attackers to transform their face dynamically during video calls or even automate entire interactions without human involvement,” Tobac explained.
As romance scams grow more sophisticated, Meta advises users to remain cautious, avoid sharing personal information, and report suspicious accounts. This Valentine’s Day, the company hopes to protect users from heartbreak—and financial loss—by raising awareness about these deceptive schemes.
Stay safe online, and remember: if an online romance seems too good to be true, it probably is.
