Valentine’s Day is supposed to be about connection. For cybercriminals, it’s become something else entirely.
Romance scams have evolved from simple fake profiles into highly organized, AI-powered operations that target victims with alarming precision. What used to be a few convincing messages is now deepfake video, scripted emotional manipulation and coordinated financial coaching.
The scale of the problem is hard to ignore: according to Barclays, nearly one in five UK adults say they’ve either been targeted by a romance scam or know someone who has, and among those targeted, 40% lost money, with the average loss in 2025 reaching £7,000 (about $9,550).
These aren’t just “lonely hearts” schemes. In many cases, they’re the on-ramp to larger investment scams, where victims are slowly groomed and then directed into fraudulent cryptocurrency platforms.
For banks, credit unions and payment processors, this presents a difficult reality: the customer often authorizes the payment.
And that changes everything.
The new face of heartbreak: deepfakes and “love-bombing”
By 2026, generative AI has fundamentally changed how romance scams work.
Scammers can create realistic personas, complete with AI-generated profile photos and even live video calls that appear authentic. They move quickly, building emotional trust through “love-bombing” and constant attention. Once trust is established, a crisis appears. A medical emergency. A frozen account. A “can’t-miss” crypto investment opportunity.
Because the victim believes they’re helping someone they care about, they authorize the transaction themselves. Traditional fraud tools that focus on stolen credentials or compromised accounts often miss this type of payment fraud entirely.
The transaction looks legitimate on the surface. The intent behind it is not.
Why proactive, AI-driven fraud prevention matters
This is where INETCO BullzAI makes a measurable difference.
INETCO BullzAI does not wait for a transaction to reach the authorization host. It monitors the entire transaction journey in milliseconds, analyzing behavior, device signals and payment context before the funds leave the institution. That speed matters, especially with real-time payments and irreversible transfers now common.
Behavioral fingerprinting
INETCO BullzAI builds dynamic machine learning models for each customer and device. If a customer who typically makes everyday retail purchases suddenly initiates a high-value transfer to a new crypto exchange, the system evaluates intent and context in real time.
Surgical precision blocking
Most legacy systems take a blunt-force approach, blocking entire accounts or IP addresses and frustrating legitimate users. INETCO BullzAI uses a transaction firewall to block specific suspicious transactions in real time. That means protection without unnecessary friction, even during peak seasons like Valentine’s Day.
Millisecond intervention for faster payments
Romance scams often rely on irrevocable payment rails. With millisecond-level decisioning, financial institutions can stop payment fraud before completion, not after settlement.
What to watch for this Valentine’s Day
Technology plays a critical role, but awareness still matters. While AI offers a powerful back-end defense, users should stay vigilant for these common signs:
- Rapid escalation to encrypted messaging apps like WhatsApp
- Consistent excuses to avoid in-person meetings or genuine live video interaction (scammers often avoid this)
- Investment “coaching” or promises of quick crypto gains that seem too good to be true
- Romance scams typically begin with fake profiles on dating sites or social media before financial requests are made.
Moving from reactive to real-time protection
Romance scams are no longer isolated incidents. They are structured, AI-enabled operations designed to exploit trust and bypass traditional controls. Financial institutions need protection that operates at the same speed as modern payments.
With INETCO BullzAI, banks and payment providers can move beyond reactive fraud management and toward proactive, millisecond-level defense.
This Valentine’s Day, proactively protect your clients from heartbreak and don’t let your institution become the unwitting middleman in a romance scam.
To see how INETCO BullzAI detects and stops payment fraud before it completes, request a demo with our team.