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Men turn to AI on Valentine’s Day

A global leader in online protection, reveals the role artificial intelligence (AI) tools is having in online dating, and the implications this has for increased catfishing and romance scams. This Valentine’s Day, 45% of men (and 39% of all adults) are contemplating using AI to pen a love letter, compared to 30% and 26% respectively last year, showing the increased adoption of AI tools for romantic purposes.

McAfee’s second annual “Modern Love” study surveyed 7,000 people in seven countries worldwide and discovered that nearly one in four (23%) Americans are using AI tools to help create photos or other content when dating online. This contrasts sharply with people’s feelings about receiving AI-generated content: Nearly two-thirds (64%) expressed distrust towards potential love interests who used AI-generated imagery and chat bots on their profiles. Further, the prevalence of romance scams emerged with one-third (31%) of Americans saying their conversations with a potential love interest online turned out to be with a scammer.

Despite mixed feelings and experiences, the effectiveness of AI is undeniable: 69% of people reported receiving more interest and better responses using AI-generated content than when they drafted or used their own original content. Additionally, 39% of Americans are planning to or considering using artificial intelligence to write a Valentine’s Card or other messages to a love interest. This sentiment opposes their feelings about being romanced via code: 57% of people said they would be hurt or offended if they found out AI wrote their Valentine’s message.

“The possibilities of AI are endless, and unfortunately, so are the perils. For people who are shy about starting conversations, short on time to craft the perfect message, or whose photos could be brightened, AI offers tools to help enjoy all the fun and excitement that comes with online dating,” said Steve Grobman, McAfee’s Chief Technology Officer.

“Unfortunately, we know cybercriminals also use AI to scale malicious activity. With love-seekers spending more time online leading up to Valentine’s Day, scammers are using AI to pose as love interests to steal money or personal information. We encourage people to balance romantic hope with healthy skepticism, to pause before sharing sensitive information online, and to ensure they use the right tools to protect their privacy, identity, and personal information,” continued Grobman.

Love struck, or scam struck? It can be hard to tell.

Online dating remains pervasive, with 58% of Americans using, or having used, dating websites, apps, or social media to find love. However, the rise of powerful, easy-to-use AI tools complicates the online dating landscape. By leveraging these tools, romance scammers can craft convincing messages and realistic profile images to trick people looking for love online. Nearly half (46%) of Americans said they are unsure or don’t believe they could identify AI-generated love messages.

Those looking for love are often more vulnerable to scams, and cybercriminals use that vulnerability to their advantage by engaging in long and sophisticated attempts to steal from victims. 57% of Americans said they were asked to transfer money soon after meeting a love interest and 30% of these people were asked to send more than $1,000.

These findings underscore the escalating threat of romance scams in the digital dating world and the need for increased online dating security awareness and protection. Notably, and indicating the lengths scammers go to gain access to personal information:

And if you’re not being targeted on dating sites, the McAfee Labs team reveals you still need to exercise caution online with an increase in Valentine-related scams. This includes Valentine-related malware campaigns (25% surge), malicious URLs (300% increase), and a variety of romance-themed spam and email scams (a staggering 400% increase), with the majority focused on Valentine’s shopping and gifts. McAfee Labs expects these numbers will continue rising as February 14 gets closer, urging vigilance.

Scammers aren’t the only ones using AI.

The use of AI-generated images for fake profiles and photos appears to be growing: 58% of people said they’d come across fake profiles or photos that look AI-generated in the past year, on dating websites, apps, or on social media. Specifically:

Online dating calls for some modern-day detective work.

In a dating pool filled with an increasing number of scams and AI content, online daters are doing their dating diligence:

Steps for protecting yourself from online romance and AI scams.

People can help prevent financial and emotional heartbreak by taking the following steps:

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