According to FBI IC3 data, $672,009,052 was stolen from 17,910 romance scam victims in 2024. Romance scams rank #6 by financial losses among all cybercrime types, making detection critical for online dating safety.
The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) released its 2024 annual report, revealing the shocking scale of romance fraud in America. These figures represent reported cases—experts estimate true losses exceed $4.7 billion when accounting for unreported scams.
| Metric | 2024 Data (FBI IC3) | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Total Financial Losses | $672,009,052 | Romance/confidence scams only |
| Total Complaints | 17,910 | Reported romance scam cases |
| Average Loss Per Victim | $37,521 | Mean financial impact |
| Rank by Complaint Volume | #10 | Of all crime types reported to IC3 |
| Rank by Dollar Losses | #6 | Only 5 crime types cause more financial damage |
| All Cybercrime Losses | $16.6 billion | All crime types combined to IC3 |
Romance scam losses are not evenly distributed across America. California, Texas, and Florida lead in total losses, while smaller states like Nevada and Wyoming show alarming per capita impact. This analysis combines FBI IC3 state-level data with 2025 San Antonio division updates.
| State | Total Losses (2023-2024) | Rank | Key Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $126,000,000+ | #1 | Largest population + highest tech fraud prevalence |
| Texas | $52,000,000 | #2 | San Antonio saw 77% YoY growth ($28M in 2025) |
| Florida | $51,000,000 | #3 | High concentration of older adults |
| New York | High (top 5) | #4-5 | Major urban centers and dating app usage |
| Illinois | High (top 10) | Top 10 | Chicago metropolitan area concentration |
| State | Loss Per Resident | Rank | Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada | $588 | Highest | Las Vegas area + transient population |
| Wyoming | $530 | 2nd Highest | Small population base amplifies impact |
| District of Columbia | $2,965 | Outlier | Unique data anomaly—likely reporting artifact |
The San Antonio FBI division reported a dramatic 77% year-over-year increase in romance scam losses, jumping from $15.8 million in 2024 to $28 million in 2025. This represents one of the fastest-growing romance fraud hotspots in America and signals increasing sophistication and AI integration in scam operations.
While FBI IC3 focuses on cybercrimes, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) tracks all consumer fraud through its Consumer Sentinel database. FTC data provides additional context on romance scam prevalence and victim demographics.
| FTC Metric | 2023-2024 Data | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Romance Scam Losses (FTC 2023) | $1.14 billion | FTC reports higher total than FBI IC3 (different methodology) |
| Romance Scam Reports (2023) | 64,003 | 3.6x higher than FBI IC3 complaints |
| Median Loss Per Victim | $2,000 | FTC vs. $37,521 FBI average (different victim pool) |
| % Who Lost Money (2024) | 38% | 38% of reporters lost funds (vs. 62% who lost nothing) |
| Total Fraud Losses (FTC 2024) | $12.5 billion | All fraud types; romance scams = ~9% of total |
| Total Fraud Reports (FTC 2024) | 6.5 million | All fraud types combined |
Romance scammers disproportionately target older adults. According to FTC data, adults aged 60+ suffered $2.4 billion in fraud losses in 2024. However, the Consumer Federation of America estimates true losses among older adults exceed $82 billion when including unreported cases and institutional fraud.
The explosion of accessible AI image generation—powered by tools like DALL-E, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion—has fundamentally transformed romance scam tactics. Scammers no longer need to steal photos from social media or create elaborate fake accounts. They can now generate highly realistic, unique "fake people" in minutes.
2010-2020: Stolen Photo Era