AI girlfriend scams: fake profiles, romance fraud and how to spot them

AI girlfriend scams come in two main forms: scammers using AI-generated photos and chat scripts to pose as a real woman who eventually asks for money, and fake or copycat "AI girlfriend" apps, bots and ads that take payments or personal data. Romance scams cost Americans $929 million in 2025, according to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, which counted over $19 million lost to romance scams with a likely AI link.

By AI Girlfriends Guide editorial team Updated September 29, 2026 How we rank

How big the problem is

The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center received 23,159 romance and confidence fraud complaints in 2025, with losses of $929.3 million, up from 17,910 complaints and $672.0 million in 2024. People over 60 lost $584.0 million of that.
The same report counted 22,364 AI-related complaints across all crime types, and said scammers use fake profiles and scripts produced by AI chat generators to make their messages more believable.
The FTC says nearly 60% of people who lost money to a romance scam in 2025 said it started on social media, where reported romance-scam losses reached $298 million.
A McAfee survey reported by SecurityBrief found one in five UK respondents had come across inauthentic accounts on dating or social apps.

Scam 1: a "real" girlfriend who is really AI plus a scammer

This is the classic romance scam with better tools. A profile with flawless photos makes contact on Instagram, a dating app or a messaging app. The photos are AI-generated, so a reverse image search finds nothing. The messages are warm, attentive and fluent, often drafted with AI chat tools. After weeks of daily contact, a crisis appears: a medical bill, a stuck payment, a plane ticket, or an "investment" she is making money from.

The FBI has warned that criminals create realistic images for fictitious social media profiles in romance schemes. Its tips: look for distorted hands or feet and odd teeth or eyes in photos, and agree a secret word with family to check the identity of anyone who asks for money in their name.

Scam 2: fake AI girlfriend apps, bots and pages

The second kind targets people looking for an AI girlfriend on purpose. Patterns to watch:

Bots in messaging apps that ask you to pay a person directly, in crypto or gift cards, to "unlock" features.
Copycat sites that borrow a known app's name or look but have no company name, no terms and a checkout on an unrelated domain.
"Free" offers that need card details for a short trial that turns into a large recurring charge.
Fake influencer accounts that link out to paid chat services without saying the person is AI.
Extortion after sharing photos. The FTC notes that some social media scams end in sextortion after people send intimate photos.

Before paying any AI girlfriend service, check who runs it. 31 of the 31 apps we track name their operating company, and our guide on how to choose an AI girlfriend app lists the other checks. If you want a companion inside a messaging app, our page on AI girlfriends on Telegram covers the options.

Red flags

The FTC's guide to romance scams lists warning signs that apply whether or not AI is involved, and adds one rule: never send money or gifts to a sweetheart you have not met in person.

They cannot meet in person or on a live video call, and always have a reason: working abroad, on an oil rig, in the military.
They ask for money, gift cards, crypto or wire transfers, for any reason.
They move the chat off the dating app quickly.
They offer investment tips or a trading platform.
They ask for intimate photos early.
Their photos find no match in a reverse image search, or look slightly too perfect.
For apps: no company name, no price before you pay, payment to a personal account.

How a legitimate AI girlfriend app differs

A real AI girlfriend app tells you up front that she is AI. It shows a company name and prices, takes payment through its own checkout or an app store, and never asks you to send money to a person or buy gift cards. Its characters may flirt and ask about your day, but they do not ask for loans or investment. California's SB 243, in force since January 2026, requires companion chatbots to clearly notify users that they are artificially generated where a reasonable person could be misled.

If an "AI girlfriend" asks for money outside the app's checkout, it is not the app talking.

If you have been scammed

Stop contact and do not send more money, whatever they promise or threaten.
Contact your bank or card issuer at once; some transfers can be stopped.
Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov. The FTC's advice is also to tell the platform where you met.
If someone threatens to share images, do not pay; save the messages and report it to the police.
Change passwords if you shared any account details.

Leaked data can fuel extortion too; see our guide to AI girlfriend data breaches and our overview of whether AI girlfriend apps are safe.

Frequently asked questions

Are AI girlfriends a scam?

Legitimate AI girlfriend apps are real products that tell you the character is AI and charge a published price. Scams are different: fake profiles posing as real people, or apps and bots that ask for money outside a normal checkout, often in gift cards or crypto.

How can you tell if an online girlfriend is AI?

Warning signs include photos with distorted hands, teeth or eyes, no match in a reverse image search, refusal to video call, and replies that are fluent but oddly generic. Any request for money from someone you have not met is a red flag either way.

How much do people lose to romance scams?

The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center recorded $929.3 million in romance and confidence fraud losses in 2025 from 23,159 complaints, up from $672.0 million in 2024. It linked over $19 million of that to AI.

Where do I report an AI girlfriend scam?

In the US, report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to the FBI at ic3.gov, and tell the platform where it happened. Contact your bank at once if you sent money.

Can an AI girlfriend app ask me for money?

A legitimate app sells subscriptions and tokens through its own checkout or an app store. A character asking you to send money, gift cards or crypto directly is a scam, not the app.