BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) — Federal officials are warning Western New Yorkers about a dangerous surge in romance scams ahead of Valentine's Day.
Romance scams cost victims more than $1.3 billion nationwide in 2024, and criminals are now using sophisticated new tactics, including artificial intelligence, to target lonely hearts.
"If it doesn't smell right or feel right, it probably isn't right," said Michael DiGiacomo, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York.
Federal leaders say criminals build fake relationships using dating apps and social media for months to gain trust, then use a new "playbook" directing victims to fraudulent investment platforms.
WATCH: Federal officials warn Western New Yorkers about romance scam surge ahead of Valentine's Day
Along with the U.S. Attorney, both the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security investigate these scams.
"Victims have lost life savings, taken out loans, and involved family members and friends, all because they believe they were investing in a trusted partnership," said Erin Keegan, Department of Homeland Security Special Agent-in-Charge.
A particularly cruel new layer to these scams is referred to as "pig butchering" - calculated attacks on victims' trust, emotions and livelihoods.
"This scam's name comes from the way that these predators fatten up their victims, encouraging larger and larger investments before slaughtering their hopes and stealing every dollar," Keegan said.
Philip Tejera is Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo FBI field office. He said criminals specifically target vulnerable individuals.
"They're looking for an opportunity for somebody who is lonely, somebody who thinks they're developing a relationship and they're leveraging that," Tejera said.
Federal leaders say many of the criminals operate overseas, and artificial intelligence has made these scams even more dangerous and convincing.
"It allows people in foreign countries who may, in the past had issues with language, where there was grammatical errors and sentences, and it was obvious that maybe this wasn't a person that was located in the United States. Now it's very fluid," Tejera said.
Federal investigators say locally, they intercepted about $10 million in funds involved in these scams.
To avoid becoming a victim, experts recommend limiting time on social media, checking social media privacy settings, not answering wrong-number texts that come to your cell phone, and not engaging in any online money requests.
"And lastly, trust your instincts," DiGiacomo declared.
7 News Senior Reporter Michael Wooten spoke with a representative from the Better Business Bureau about a rise in these scams. You can watch the conversation below.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
