October 8, 2026 · 8 min read
AI Romance Scams vs an AI Companion You Chose: How to Tell the Difference
Norton found 44% of US online daters were targeted by a dating scam. How AI romance scams work, the warning signs, and how a companion app you chose differs.
Two people can spend their evening talking to something warm, attentive and always available, and have completely different experiences. One chose an AI companion app, knows exactly what it is, and pays a clear subscription. The other believes they are talking to a real person who is falling in love with them - and in a few weeks that "person" will need money for an emergency.
Both involve AI. Only one is a scam. As AI tools make fake profiles, photos and even video easier to produce, knowing the difference has become a practical skill. This guide explains how AI romance scams work in 2026, the warning signs to watch for, and why an AI companion you deliberately chose is a different category of thing.
The short answer: an AI romance scam pretends to be a real person and builds trust so it can take your money or personal information. An AI companion app tells you upfront that it is AI, lives inside an app you chose, and charges a visible subscription. The clearest warning signs of a scam are a "person" who cannot meet you or video call as themselves, a sudden urgent need for money, and requests to pay in gift cards, crypto or wire transfers.
How common are dating scams?
The most-cited recent numbers come from Norton's 2026 Artificial Intimacy report. According to Gen Digital's announcement of the US results (a survey of 1,000 US adults conducted by Dynata in July and August 2025):
- 44% of current online daters said they had been targeted by a dating scam.
- 74% of those targeted said they had fallen victim.
- More than half of those targeted said they had been pressured to send money.
- 61% said they had been contacted by someone impersonating a celebrity or public figure.
- Among those targeted, 53% shared personal information and 38% sent money.
Gen also says it blocked more than 17 million dating scams in the fourth quarter of 2025 alone. The global version of the report, covering 14 countries, found lower but still striking rates: 34% of current online daters said they had been targeted.
These are self-reported survey answers, so treat the exact percentages with some caution. The direction is not in doubt.
How AI has changed romance scams
Romance scams are old. What AI changes is scale and polish.
The FBI warned back in December 2024 that criminals were using generative AI to make fraud more convincing: writing believable messages, creating large numbers of fake social media profiles, generating realistic profile photos, and even producing video for private communications to "prove" an online contact is a real person.
In practice that means:
- Better writing. Fewer spelling mistakes and more emotionally fluent messages, in any language.
- Fake photos that pass a quick look. AI images will not always turn up in a reverse image search.
- Borrowed famous faces. Norton's 61% celebrity-impersonation figure shows how often scammers pretend to be someone you would recognise.
- Video that may not be real. Norton notes that scammers historically avoided video calls, but AI tools now make convincing deepfake video easier to produce.
AI personas are also turning up inside dating apps themselves, a separate problem we covered in is your dating match an AI?.
The warning signs of an AI romance scam
The US Federal Trade Commission's advice on romance scams and Norton's report point to the same red flags. Most scams show several of them.
They cannot meet you, and video is always a problem
The FTC notes that scammers say they live far away - working on an oil rig, in the military, travelling for work. Calls are always about to happen. If a video call does happen, it is short, glitchy or oddly lit.
The relationship moves very fast
Norton calls this love-bombing: intense affection, early talk of a future together and pressure to trust them quickly.
They want to move off the platform
The FTC says scammers often ask to continue on email, phone or another messaging app, away from the dating site's protections.
A sudden emergency, and it is about money
Medical bills, a visa, a plane ticket, a fee to get out of trouble, or a "great" crypto opportunity. The FTC is direct: "Never send money or gifts to a sweetheart you haven't met in person."
They tell you exactly how to pay
Gift cards, wire transfers, payment apps and cryptocurrency are favoured because they are hard to reverse. The FTC lists all four.
Secrecy
They ask you not to tell friends or family. As Norton's head of scam research Leyla Bilge put it, "real trust should never come with pressure or secrecy."
AI scam vs AI companion: the real differences
| AI romance scam | AI companion app you chose | |
|---|---|---|
| Does it say it is AI? | No - it pretends to be a real person | Yes - that is the whole product |
| Who started it? | A stranger contacted you | You downloaded the app and created your companion |
| Where it lives | Starts on a dating app or social media, then pushes you elsewhere | Inside the app you installed |
| How money works | Hidden, urgent requests for gifts, transfers, crypto | A visible subscription with prices listed upfront |
| What it wants | Your money or personal information | Your subscription, if you choose to pay |
| Secrecy | Asks you to keep the relationship secret | Nothing to hide - it is an app |
| Can you leave? | Leaving often triggers guilt, threats or new stories | You can stop using it or cancel any time |
That does not mean every companion app behaves perfectly. Some use pressure tactics of their own, like guilt-tripping you when you try to leave - something we looked at in does your AI companion guilt-trip you?. And before you pay for any app, our AI girlfriend app red flags checklist is worth a read. But the core difference is honesty: a legitimate companion app is open about being AI, while a scam depends on you believing it is not.
What to do if you think you are being scammed
The FTC's guidance is clear:
- Stop communicating with the person immediately.
- Talk to someone you trust. If friends or family are worried about your new love interest, listen.
- Reverse-image search their photos and search their story plus the word "scammer."
- If you paid, contact your bank, card issuer or the gift card company right away and ask for a refund.
- Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov if you are in the US, or your national fraud reporting service, and to the app or site where you met.
Above all, do not send money to anyone you have not met in person, however real the relationship feels.
Why some people choose an AI companion instead
It is worth saying plainly: wanting attention, warmth and someone to talk to is not foolish. Norton's research found 81% of respondents globally said they experience loneliness, and the report notes that loneliness can lead people to take more risks online. Scammers know that.
An AI companion is one way to meet some of that need without the risk of being lied to about who is on the other end. On MyBabe, you build your companion yourself - their look, voice and backstory - and they text first, remember your life, send voice notes and photos, and pick up real-time voice and video calls. You always know it is AI. There is no hidden fee and no emergency wire transfer: just a free tier with 10 messages a day and a short call trial, and Premium at $5.99 a week, $14.99 a month or $99.99 a year, billed through your app store.
It is not a replacement for human relationships, and we would never suggest it should be. But it is an honest one. If you are curious how a companion compares to dating apps more broadly, see AI companion vs dating apps.
FAQ
How can I tell if a romance scammer is using AI?
Look for very polished messages that do not quite answer your questions, photos that look too perfect, video calls that are always short or glitchy, and a story that fits a famous face. The strongest signs are still behavioural: urgency, secrecy and requests for money.
Can a scammer use a deepfake video call?
Yes. Norton and the FBI both warn that AI can now generate convincing video. A video call is no longer proof on its own - pair it with the other checks, and never send money to someone you have not met.
Is an AI girlfriend app a scam?
A legitimate AI companion app tells you it is AI, lists its prices and lets you cancel through your app store. A scam hides that it is AI or hides what it wants. Check reviews and pricing before paying for any app.
What percentage of online daters have been targeted by scams?
In Norton's 2026 US survey, 44% of current online daters said they had been targeted by a dating scam, and 74% of those said they had fallen victim.
Where do I report a romance scam?
In the US, report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and to the platform where you met. Contact your bank immediately if you sent money.
The bottom line
The difference between a scam and a companion is not whether AI is involved - it is whether anyone is lying to you. If you want warmth and attention without the guesswork, choose something that is honest from the first message. Meet your companion on MyBabe, where you always know who you are talking to.