McAfee warns Australians of AI-fuelled Valentine scams

McAfee has warned Australians to stay alert for romance and dating scams around Valentine's Day, citing commissioned research that found widespread exposure to fake profiles and AI-driven deception on dating and social platforms.

Its latest survey found that half of Australians have encountered a fake profile or an AI-generated bot online. One in seven respondents reported losing money to an online romance or dating scam, with an average loss of AUD $780.

Nearly half of Australians (48%) said someone they met through online dating or social platforms had asked them to send money or share financial information. Among adults under 35, that figure rose to 70%.

Scale of exposure

The survey points to sharp differences by age and gender. Australians aged 25 to 34 were more likely to report losing money, while men were more likely to suffer higher losses.

Exposure also varied by age cohort. Nearly a third of adults aged 18 to 24 said they encountered potential romance scams weekly, compared with 12% of adults aged 65 and above.

The research found that 94% of people who had experienced an online dating scam said it affected them in a meaningful way, citing loss of trust, embarrassment and emotional distress.

It also examined how artificial intelligence is used to present online identities. A quarter of Australians said they had spotted AI-generated or modified photos on dating or social apps. Men were more likely than women to use AI to enhance images on their own dating profiles (10% versus 3%).

AI and emotion

The findings suggest shifting attitudes to online relationships as AI becomes more visible in social interactions. Nearly one in three people (32%) said it is possible to develop romantic feelings for an AI bot; among adults under 45, the figure rose to 42%.

Seven percent of respondents said they had personally experienced romantic feelings for an AI chatbot.

McAfee also said scammers are increasingly blending automated messages with more personalised approaches. McAfee Labs reported a rise in fake AI dating bots, with some users receiving more than 60 messages in 12 hours even without a profile photo.

Scam pathways

McAfee said many scams start with conversation rather than immediate financial requests, before shifting to payment demands, verification codes or links. QR codes and links sent via texts, emails, direct messages or in-app chat were cited as common routes used to push victims towards financial transactions.

In separate telemetry research, McAfee said it blocked hundreds of thousands of romance-related malicious URLs between December 1, 2025, and January 22, 2026, with thousands tied specifically to dating-app-themed content.

McAfee Labs also reported a year-on-year decline in dating-app-themed malicious URLs over the same period, which it said could indicate shifting tactics, including a move away from URL-led lures.

Mobile threats remain a focus for security researchers because cloned apps can mimic familiar brands. McAfee Labs said malicious Tinder clones accounted for 55% of detections in its analysis last year. Tinder still represented roughly half of all malicious app activity when comparing the same set of apps year on year, McAfee Labs reported.

McAfee Labs also reported tens of thousands of attempts to install malicious mobile apps cloned from platforms including Tinder, Bumble and eHarmony. Plenty of Fish accounted for 78% of detected fake dating-app installations in its latest analysis.

Case study

Elisa, a 64-year-old business owner and publisher, described being targeted shortly after joining the RSVP dating app in 2011. She said a person claiming to be a Greek-American engineer based in Kuala Lumpur contacted her within minutes of her first post.

She said the interaction escalated quickly, with frequent calls and messages, gifts sent from multiple addresses, and references designed to mirror details of her life. The person later began asking about her business, income and investments, before requesting AUD $60,000.

According to Elisa, she avoided financial loss after contacting police and learning the image used had appeared across more than 60 profiles, and that the scam was linked to a larger operation.

"Romance scams don't begin with money. They begin with trust," said Tyler McGee, Head of APJ, McAfee. "When half of Australians say they've encountered a fake profile or AI-generated bot, it's clear these scams aren't edge cases. Scammers blend into everyday dating and social platforms, take time to build emotional familiarity, and make the relationship feel real before the scam ever starts."

Product updates

McAfee said it has expanded features in its Scam Detector product, which is included with its core consumer plans and available across 11 geographies.

Further updates are due in the spring, including QR code safety checks and a way for users to check suspicious social messages by uploading screenshots from services such as Instagram DMs, Messenger, WhatsApp and Telegram.