Romance scammers are getting harder to catch. The consequences are costly.

For people looking for love online, a match with a scammer could cost them their life savings. A congressional investigation, which began in September 2025 and lasted about a year, found that Tinder’s scam detection systems struggled for years to keep fraudulent accounts off the dating app. Parent company Match Group has since moved to address the shortcomings with new verification requirements and upgraded detection technology. Romance scams have become a leading form of financial fraud in the U.S., costing Americans nearly $1.5 billion in reported losses last year, according to the Federal Trade Commission. “There’s a lot of stigma to being a victim to scams,” Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., who launched the investigation alongside Sen.

Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said in an interview last week. “People should understand that really sophisticated people who are doing all the right things are still getting scammed because of the level of technology and resources that these criminal enterprises now do.” Scammers today can realistically pose as representatives from familiar organizations like the local YMCA or a bank, and the accessibility of AI tools makes it easier than ever to research family members and mimic their voices. But romance scams, Hassan said, can be particularly emotionally devastating. That was the case for Pennsylvania resident Sue Nuss, who told Congress’ Joint Economic Committee about her