# Romance scams on dating apps: what operators can do

Published 2026-10-16. Updated 2026-10-16. https://www.datingapi.io/insights/romance-scams-operators

**In short:** Romance scams are rising. UK victims reported losses of more than £102 million in 2025, with reports up 29%, and US victims reported over $1.16 billion in the first nine months of 2025. Operators cut exposure with photo and liveness checks, ID options, fast reporting and warning members who chatted to banned scammers, which a new US law would require.

Romance scams are getting bigger, and regulators now expect dating operators to do something about them. UK victims reported losses of more than £102 million in 2025, with reports up 29% on 2024 [1]. In the US, the FTC recorded over $1.16 billion in reported romance scam losses in just the first nine months of 2025 [3]. The controls that work are well understood: check that profiles belong to real, live people, keep banned scammers out, make reporting fast and warn members who were talking to a scammer. In the UK the Online Safety Act already makes fraud a risk you must assess [4], and in the US a law requiring those warnings has passed both houses of Congress [8][9].

This guide sets out the latest official figures, how scammers operate, the controls operators use and the industry and legal changes to plan for.

## The latest figures

| Measure | Figure | Period | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| UK romance fraud losses reported to police | More than £102m | 2025 | Report Fraud [1] |
| UK romance fraud reports | 10,784, up 29% | 2025 | Report Fraud [1] |
| UK average loss per victim | About £9,500 | 2025 | Report Fraud [1] |
| US romance scam losses reported to the FTC | Over $1.16bn | January to September 2025 | FTC data via GDI [3] |
| US romance scam reports | 55,604, up 22% | January to September 2025 | FTC data via GDI [3] |
| US fraud losses of all kinds reported to the FTC | $15.9bn | 2025 | FTC [2] |
| UK adults online who have experienced romance or dating scams | 29% | Ofcom research | Ofcom [4] |

Source: Report Fraud [1], FTC [2][3], Ofcom [4].

These are reported losses only. Police say part of the UK rise reflects more victims coming forward [1], and most scams are never reported at all. People aged 55 to 74 suffered nearly half of UK losses in 2025 [1], so a dating app with an older audience faces a higher risk than one aimed at students.

## How the scams work

The pattern has not changed much, but the tools have. City of London Police describe offenders building convincing fake identities on social media and dating platforms, using AI-generated images and messages to make them more believable, then building trust over weeks or months before asking for money [1]. Many schemes now end in a fake investment, often in cryptocurrency, rather than a simple request for cash [1].

The warning signs police give members are useful to operators too, because each one is something a platform can detect [1]:

- a relationship that moves very fast, with strong emotions early on
- excuses for not meeting in person or not joining a live video call
- requests for money, crypto or gift cards
- requests linked to investments, emergencies or travel costs

Ofcom's guidance for dating services adds that fraudsters create fake personas [4], and it lists fraud and romance scams first among the harms dating services must assess under the Online Safety Act [4].

## The controls operators use

| Control | What it stops | Who expects it | Evidence it works |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Photo and liveness check at sign-up | Fake and stolen photos, duplicate accounts | Tinder requires it for new members in its rollout markets [5] | Tinder reported over 60% less exposure to bad actors [5] |
| Optional ID verification | Lets members talk only to verified people | UK Online Fraud Charter [6] | Not published |
| Block banned fraudsters from re-registering | Scammers returning under a new name | UK Online Fraud Charter [6] | Not published |
| Fraud reporting within two clicks | Slow or missing reports | UK Online Fraud Charter [6] | Not published |
| Warn members who chatted to a banned account | Losses after the scammer is removed | Online Fraud Charter [6], US bill [8] | Not published |
| Message scanning for money and off-platform requests | Payment requests, links, moves to other apps | Our view: high value, but must respect privacy law | Not published |
| Fraud in the illegal harms risk assessment | Gaps in your controls | Online Safety Act, via Ofcom [4] | Not applicable |

Source: Match Group [5], Home Office [6], US House of Representatives [8], Ofcom [4].

A few points on making these work in practice:

- **Photo and liveness checks do the most work for the least friction.** Match Group says Tinder's Face Check, a video selfie matched to profile photos, cut exposure to potential bad actors by over 60% and bad actor reports by over 40% [5]. These are company figures, not independently audited, but they are the clearest published evidence for any single control. The same step can also handle [age assurance](/glossary/age-assurance).
- **Re-registration is where scammers win.** A ban is only useful if the same face, device and payment card cannot open a new account the next day. The Online Fraud Charter asks signatories to block people removed for fraud from coming back [6].
- **Warnings protect members after the fact.** Banning a scammer does not help a member who has already shared contact details and moved to another app. The Charter asks dating services to alert members who exchanged details with someone likely involved in financial crime [6].
- **Scanning should target behaviour, not read everything.** The useful signals are narrow: money, crypto, gift cards, investment talk and early pushes to move to another app. Flagging those for review is far more defensible than broad monitoring.

For how these controls fit a wider [trust and safety](/glossary/trust-and-safety) setup, see our [Online Safety Act checklist](/insights/online-safety-act-dating-apps).

## Industry initiatives

**UK Online Fraud Charter.** Signed in November 2023 by Match Group alongside Amazon, eBay, Facebook, Google, Instagram, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Snap, TikTok, X and YouTube [6]. It is voluntary, but it is the clearest statement of what the UK government expects from a dating service: an option to verify identity, reporting within two clicks, immediate takedown of fraudulent content and warnings to affected members [6]. Match Group was the only dating company among the signatories [6].

**Tech Against Scams.** A coalition announced in May 2024 by Match Group, Meta, Coinbase, Kraken, Ripple, Gemini and others [7]. Its members share information about scam tactics, work on consumer education and cooperate with law enforcement, with a focus on romance scams and crypto "pig butchering" schemes [7]. The link between dating platforms and crypto exchanges matters because so many romance scams now end in a fake investment [1].

## New laws to plan for

**US Romance Scam Prevention Act.** The bill would require online dating services to notify any member who received a message from an account banned for fraud [8]. The notice must name the banned profile, say when the member last messaged it, warn against sending money or financial details and give customer service contact details [8]. It must go out within 24 hours of the ban, or within three days where the provider decides that is necessary, with a delay allowed if law enforcement asks [8]. The FTC and state attorneys general would enforce it, and it would take effect one year after becoming law [8]. The House passed it in June 2025 and the Senate in September 2026 [8][9]. As of 16 October 2026 we had not seen confirmation that it had been signed.

**UK Online Safety Act.** Fraud is already one of the illegal harms every dating service must assess and reduce [4]. Further duties are coming for the largest services: Ofcom planned consultations running from July to the end of September 2026 on fraudulent advertising duties for Category 1 and 2A services, and on Category 1 duties including identity verification [10]. Most dating apps will not be categorised, but the direction is clear.

## What it means for dating app operators

- **Build the notification flow now.** If the US bill becomes law you will have a year to send fraud ban warnings within 24 hours [8]. That needs a reliable record of who messaged whom and a tested way to reach them.
- **Make liveness checks standard at sign-up.** It is the control with the strongest published evidence [5], and it can share a step with age checks.
- **Treat re-registration as a fraud problem, not a support problem.** Link bans to faces, devices and payment details, as the Online Fraud Charter expects [6].
- **Put fraud at the centre of your risk assessment.** Ofcom names romance scams first for dating services [4], and your records need to show what you did about it.

If you are rebuilding an app and want these controls designed in from the start, our [platform page](/platform) explains what a Dating API build includes.

## Questions

**How much do people lose to romance scams?**

In the UK, victims reported losses of more than £102 million in 2025, an average of about £9,500 each [1]. In the US, the FTC recorded over $1.16 billion in reported romance scam losses in the first nine months of 2025 [3].

**What is the Romance Scam Prevention Act?**

A US bill that would require online dating services to notify members who received messages from an account banned for fraud, usually within 24 hours [8]. It passed the House in June 2025 and the Senate in September 2026 [8][9].

**What can dating apps do to stop romance scams?**

The most effective controls are checking that profile photos belong to a real, live person, blocking banned scammers from coming back, making reporting quick and warning members who were in contact with a removed account [5][6].

**Do UK laws require dating apps to tackle fraud?**

Yes. Fraud is one of the illegal harms dating services must assess and reduce under the Online Safety Act, and Ofcom's guidance for dating services names romance scams specifically [4].

## Sources

1. Romance fraud costs UK victims £102 million as cases rise sharply, Report Fraud (City of London Police), 2026-05-04. https://www.reportfraud.police.uk/romance-fraud-costs-uk-victims-102-million/
2. FTC testimony before the Joint Economic Committee on the rising scam economy, Federal Trade Commission, 2026-03-25. https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/ftc-testimony-jec-hearing-on-the-rising-scam-economy.pdf
3. Romance scams outpace other fraud types at $1.16 billion, Global Dating Insights, 2026-02-26. https://www.globaldatinginsights.com/featured/romance-scams-outpace-other-fraud-types-at-1-16-billion/
4. Dating and social discovery: know the online safety risks, rules and how to comply, Ofcom, 2026-05-18. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/dating-and-social-discovery-know-the-online-safety-risks-rules-and-how-to-comply
5. Tinder to expand facial verification feature across the U.S., setting a new standard for dating safety, Match Group, 2025-10-22. https://mtch.com/?p=3758
6. Online Fraud Charter, Home Office, GOV.UK, 2023-11-30. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/online-fraud-charter-2023/online-fraud-charter-2023-accessible
7. Meta, Match, Coinbase and others team up to fight online fraud and crypto scams, TechCrunch, 2024-05-21. https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/21/meta-match-coinbase-and-others-team-up-to-fight-online-fraud-and-crypto-scams
8. H.R. 2481, Romance Scam Prevention Act (engrossed in House), US Government Publishing Office, 2025-06-23. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-119hr2481eh/html/BILLS-119hr2481eh.htm
9. Senate passes romance scam prevention bill, ICBA, 2026-09-29. https://www.icba.org/w/senate-passes-romance-scam-prevention-bill
10. Online Safety industry bulletin, June 2026, Ofcom, 2026-06-29. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/online-safety-industry-bulletins/online-safety-industry-bulletin-june-2026