Bay Area FBI Warns Of Romance Scams Ahead Of Valentine's Day

ALAMEDA, CA — The FBI is warning the public to remain vigilant of online romance scams ahead of Valentine's Day.

Online romance scams are those where a person uses a dating app or social media platform to build someone's trust and then exploit them for money or sensitive information, according to the FBI.

The FBI says it has seen a continued rise in this type of scam, especially now as scammers use artificial intelligence to make the scams more convincing and harder to detect, including using the program to generate realistic photos, videos and voice messages.

This was seen in 2025, when a French woman said she was scammed out of hundreds of thousands by someone who used AI to pose as Brad Pitt.

“Romance scammers are master manipulators who exploit trust emotion and they are becoming more sophisticated by the day with the use of artificial intelligence,” FBI San Francisco Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani said in a statement Tuesday. “If someone you've never met in person asks you for money, cryptocurrency or investment help, it is a red flag - no matter how convincing the story or connection may seem.”

Santa Clara County had the highest number of scam victims (131) and financial loss ($12,129,980) in 2025, according to the FBI. Alameda followed with the second-highest number of scam victims at 101. In total, those victims lost more than $6 million to scams, according to FBI data.

Victims within the FBI's San Francisco Division's territory, which serves counties such as Lake, Santa Cruz and Humboldt, lost more than $40 million in romance scams in 2025, $18 million more than the previous year, according to the data.

San Francisco County saw the largest jump in financial loss, seeing a more than 763% increase between 2024 and 2025.

The FBI recommends people take the following steps to protect themselves:

• Never send money, cryptocurrency, or investments to someone you've only met online.
• Do not share your financial situation with strangers.
• Never provide bank details, Social Security numbers, or copies of identification.
• Be skeptical of “guaranteed” or high-return investments.
• Be cautious of anyone claiming exclusive opportunities or pressuring you to act quickly.