FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) data on romance and confidence fraud: national totals, state-by-state losses, and the growing role of AI-generated photos in online scams.
Source: FBI IC3 2024 Internet Crime Report • Updated July 2026
*Consumer Federation of America estimate — approximately 7x reported figures due to underreporting
The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received 17,910 romance and confidence fraud complaints in 2024, resulting in $672,009,052 in reported losses. Romance scams ranked 10th among all cybercrime types by complaint volume and 6th by total dollar losses — a disproportionate financial impact that reflects the long-term, high-stakes nature of these crimes.
Total cybercrime losses across all categories reached $16.6 billion in 2024, a 33% increase from the prior year. The FBI has confirmed that AI-generated profile photos are increasingly being used to make fake online identities more convincing — particularly in romance scam operations targeting dating apps and social media.
| Metric | 2024 Figure | vs. 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Romance/confidence complaints | 17,910 | ~Stable |
| Total romance/confidence losses | $672,009,052 | +~5% YoY |
| Average loss per victim | $37,521 | ↑ Rising |
| All cybercrime losses (all types) | $16.6 billion | +33% YoY |
| Rank by complaint volume | #10 of all crime types | — |
| Rank by dollar losses | #6 of all crime types | — |
Source: FBI IC3 2024 Internet Crime Report
The FTC Consumer Sentinel Network captures fraud reports from multiple agencies and consumer reporting organizations — giving a broader picture than the FBI IC3 alone. FTC romance scam losses peaked at $1.14 billion in 2023 from 64,003 reports. The FTC also tracks total fraud across all categories: in 2024, total fraud losses hit $12.5 billion, up 25% from 2023, and the share of fraud reporters who actually lost money jumped from 27% to 38% — the sharpest single-year increase on record.
| Year | FTC Romance Scam Losses | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | $493 million | Baseline |
| 2020 | $730 million | +48% (COVID acceleration) |
| 2021 | $1.3 billion | +78% |
| 2022 | $1.3 billion | Flat (second consecutive record) |
| 2023 | $1.14 billion | −12% |
| 2024 (est. true losses) | ~$4.7 billion | Consumer Federation of America est. |
Source: FTC Consumer Sentinel Network Data Books 2019–2024. Note: FTC and FBI IC3 use different reporting methodologies; figures are not directly comparable.
California accounts for nearly 19% of all reported romance scam losses nationally. High-population states dominate by total dollars, but smaller states like Nevada and Wyoming rank highest when losses are measured per resident — suggesting that scam targeting may be concentrated in certain demographics regardless of state size.
| State | Reported Losses (2023) | National Rank |
|---|---|---|
| California | $126,000,000+ | #1 |
| Texas | $52,000,000 | #2 |
| Florida | $51,000,000 | #3 |
| New York | High (top 5) | #4–5 |
| Illinois | High (top 10) | Top 10 |
| Area | Loss per Resident |
|---|---|
| Washington D.C. | $2,965 |
| Nevada | $588 |
| Wyoming | $530 |
| Region | 2024 Losses | 2025 Losses | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco Bay Area | $22M | $40M | +82% |
| San Antonio, TX | $15.8M | $28M | +77% |
| Jacksonville, FL | — | $22.2M | 550+ victims |
Source: FBI field office regional reports, 2025
Older adults file the most complaints and suffer the largest financial losses. Adults 60 and older reported $4.8 billion in losses across all cybercrime fraud categories in 2024 — a 43% increase year-over-year — and are increasingly targeted by AI-generated persona scams because they are statistically more likely to be active on dating platforms and less familiar with AI photo generation tools.
| Age Group | Complaints | Reported Losses |
|---|---|---|
| Under 20 | 17,993 | $22,500,000 |
| 20–29 | 71,399 | $540,100,000 |
| 30–39 | 108,899 | $1,400,000,000 |
| 40–49 | 112,755 | $2,200,000,000 |
| 50–59 | 84,540 | $2,500,000,000 |
| 60+ | 147,127 | $4,800,000,000 |
Source: FBI IC3 2024 Internet Crime Report — all cybercrime categories, not romance scams alone
The FBI's 2024 IC3 report explicitly flags the increasing use of AI in romance scam operations. Scammers use AI image generators to create profile photos of people who don't exist — making reverse image search useless, since no real photo was ever taken. Unlike stolen real photos, AI-generated faces have no original source to track.
AI-generated profile photos share detectable artifacts: specific pixel patterns in skin texture, hair strands, and background elements that differ from photographs taken by a real camera. These patterns are invisible to the human eye but detectable by a trained classifier — which is how Faux Spy identifies them.
The FBI has also confirmed increasing use of AI-generated video (deepfake video calls) in romance scams, particularly in "pig butchering" cryptocurrency investment schemes where scammers build months-long relationships before requesting large transfers.
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In 2024, the FBI IC3 recorded $672,009,052 in romance and confidence fraud losses across 17,910 complaints. The Consumer Federation of America estimates the true total is closer to $4.7 billion annually when accounting for unreported cases — roughly 7 times what gets reported to the FBI.
California ranks first in total romance scam losses, with over $126 million reported to the FBI IC3 in 2023. Texas ($52 million) and Florida ($51 million) rank second and third. On a per-capita basis, Washington D.C. ($2,965 per resident), Nevada ($588/resident), and Wyoming ($530/resident) are the hardest-hit areas.
Adults over 60 suffer the greatest financial harm — $4.8 billion across all fraud types in 2024, a 43% increase year-over-year. However, adults aged 40–49 file the most complaints. The average victim loses $37,521 regardless of age, and losses are rising as scammers shift to longer-running "pig butchering" schemes that build trust before requesting cryptocurrency transfers.
Yes. FBI field offices report sharp regional increases: the San Francisco Bay Area saw losses grow 82% from 2024 to 2025 ($22M to $40M), and San Antonio saw a 77% increase ($15.8M to $28M). The FBI has also confirmed increasing use of AI-generated photos and video in romance scam operations, which makes fake profiles harder to identify with traditional methods like reverse image search.
Romance scammers use AI image generators to create photorealistic portraits of people who don't exist. Because no real photo was taken, reverse image search finds nothing. AI-generated faces have pixel-level patterns different from real photographs — patterns invisible to the human eye but detectable by an AI classifier like the one Faux Spy uses.
The most reliable method is an AI image detector. Faux Spy is a free Chrome and Firefox extension that detects AI-generated photos with 90–95% accuracy on photorealistic faces. Hover over any profile photo and click Investigate — you get a verdict and confidence score in seconds, with no uploading required. It works on dating apps, social media, LinkedIn, and any other website.
The FBI estimates that only about 1 in 7 romance scam victims reports the crime. This means the 17,910 complaints filed in 2024 likely represent around 125,000 actual victims. Shame, embarrassment, and not knowing where to report are the primary reasons victims don't come forward.
Data sourced from official government reports. Losses represent only amounts reported to the FBI IC3 and do not capture unreported incidents.