Romance scams are among the most emotionally damaging forms of cyber crime because they combine carefully manufactured intimacy with financial theft – the scammers go after your heart, and then your wallet.

Just last week, Australian police warned more than 5,000 people they may have been targeted in a large-scale romance scam linked to overseas syndicates. The scammers used common dating apps to find victims and start online relationships, then tricked their victims into buying a fake cryptocurrency.

Importantly, the romance scammers’ toolkit has changed in recent years. Artificial intelligence (AI) has lowered the cost of impersonation. Convincing profile photos can be generated in minutes, affectionate conversations can be auto-generated, and “proof” of identity can now be faked through voice and video.

In the lead-up to Valentine’s Day, dating apps get busier. So how can we stay safe from romance scammers?

Romance scams rely on a small number of psychological levers, applied repeatedly. Finding their victims online through various platforms, romance scammers accelerate intimacy, often expressing strong feelings unusually early. Then, they isolate their target.

Often, the entire romance scam quite literally follows a script and plays out like........

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