This Valentine’s Day, bot operators don’t have love on the brain, just money on their mind (yes, a cheesy, but timely Rihanna reference).
Romance Fraud schemes have plagued dating platforms since their inception, but losses reported by the FBI hit an all-time high recently at nearly $1 Billion, affecting over 24,000 people in the United States alone. Romance fraud is a type of scam where a person creates a fake online identity to form a romantic relationship with another person with the intention of obtaining money, personal information, or both.
Since most users are aware of the presence of bots and catfishing schemes, how exactly have so many people become victims with so much money lost to romance fraud?
Unfortunately, it’s due to yet another type of bot.
