AI-Driven Romance Scams Surge In Middle East, Victims Face Emotional Toll

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) There is a photograph Beth Hyland still finds difficult to process. In it, she stands at a Bitcoin ATM feeding crisp one hundred-dollar bills into the machine. The money comes from a loan she has just taken out. Over several days, she deposits $26,000. The funds are being sent to the cryptocurrency wallet of a man she believes she is engaged to. A man she has never met. A man who may or may not be in Qatar. The decision to send the money is hers.

That is what makes modern romance scams so psychologically devastating. They do not rely on force. They rely on belief. And today, artificial intelligence is making those beliefs more convincing than ever.

Recommended For You

According to the US Federal Trade Commission, more than 64,000 romance scams were reported in 2023, totalling $1.14 billion in losses. That figure has more than doubled since 2019. Experts say the real numbers are likely far higher because many victims never report what happened.

For the Middle East, where social media usage is among the highest globally and cross-border mobility is common, the threat is escalating rapidly.

The AI Effect

Rob Woods, Senior Director of Fraud and Identity at LexisNexis Risk Solutions, says artificial intelligence has transformed both the scale and credibility of romance scams.

“The abundant availability of AI and deepfake technology is certainly adding fuel to the fire of scams,” Woods says.“Romance scams rely on the scammer weaving intricate stories which, more now than ever before, can be backed up with highly realistic content such as identity documents, photos, recorded videos, live video chats and social posts generated by AI to help convince the target they are genuine.”

Deepfake technology now allows fraudsters to simulate live video calls with convincing lip movements. Voice cloning enables them to imitate not only romantic partners but also friends and family members.

One case shared within the industry involved a woman dining with her son when her parents called in panic. They had just received a call from their grandson asking for urgent bail money. He was sitting beside her. Fraudsters had cloned his voice and used social media details to make the impersonation credible. The technology is accessible. The scripts are refined. The manipulation is deliberate.

A Sophisticated Enterprise

Romance scams are no longer isolated actors sending crude messages. They operate as structured criminal enterprises.“The global rise in authorised push payment fraud goes hand in hand with the growth of scam centres, which are run just like legitimate enterprises,” Woods explains.“Complete with call centres and structured teams using tried and tested scripts and resources.”

LexisNexis Risk Solutions' 2024 Cybercrime Report detected a more than doubling of fraud attempts emanating from scam centres operating between Cambodia and Myanmar within a 12 month period.

These centres scrape social media platforms for open profiles. A handful of photos can be enough to generate convincing AI images and videos. Public posts reveal names of relatives, life events, emotional vulnerabilities and financial aspirations. Fraudsters tailor their approach accordingly.

Increasingly, romance scams evolve into cryptocurrency investment schemes. Victims are groomed over weeks or months, then introduced to fake trading platforms showing fabricated profits. The model is often referred to as pig-butchering, reflecting the gradual build-up before financial extraction.

Erin West, a California cybercrime prosecutor and founder of Operation Shamrock, estimates that up to $10 billion annually may now be stolen globally through crypto-enabled romance fraud.“It's an epidemic. It's a worldwide catastrophe that nobody is really working to control,” she says.

The Red Flags

Despite the technological sophistication, the behavioural tactics remain consistent.“One key tell-tale signal that scammers employ is insisting on secrecy,” Woods says.“They urge the victim not to discuss their relationship with others. This enables the fraudster to retain control of the scam and influence over the target.”

Secrecy isolates victims from outside perspective. A trusted friend may immediately recognise inconsistencies that someone emotionally invested cannot see. Another tactic is strategic generosity.“The scammer will initially lavish expensive gifts on the target to lull them into a false sense of security,” Woods explains.“This is simply a tactical investment on the scammer's part as they know it will pay dividends later on.”

Affection is followed by urgency. A sudden legal issue. A frozen account. A medical emergency. A business payout stuck overseas. In Hyland's case, the man she believed she loved claimed he needed funds to unlock a construction payment in Qatar. She offered to help. He initially resisted. He cried. He told her no one had ever loved him like that before.

She trusted him.

The Psychological Damage

Romance fraud fuses emotional attachment with financial loss. The impact often outlasts the monetary damage.“Romance fraud is unique in that it may only go on for a few weeks or months, but the emotional impact of the deception can last a lifetime,” Woods says.

Licenced counsellor Cathy Wilson, who specialises in fraud trauma, notes that victims frequently experience betrayal, shame and profound embarrassment. Many are re-traumatised when authorities dismiss their cases. Hyland recalls being told by local police that it was not a crime because she had sent the money willingly. That response reinforces silence. Many victims withdraw rather than report. Scammers rely on that silence.

Why the Region Is Exposed

The Middle East presents a unique combination of risk factors. High social media penetration provides ample personal data. International employment norms make it plausible for someone to claim they are working in construction, oil or defence projects abroad. References to cities such as Doha, Dubai or Riyadh lend credibility.

Cryptocurrency adoption and cross-border payment channels offer fast and irreversible transfer mechanisms. Once funds move to digital wallets, recovery becomes extremely difficult. Cultural stigma surrounding financial loss or romantic deception further discourages reporting.

Technology as Defence

Artificial intelligence is also being deployed to fight back. According to Woods, LexisNexis Risk Solutions has developed adaptive fraud detection models that identify anomalies in transaction behaviour in real time. Its ThreatMetrix digital identity intelligence platform analyses signals that may indicate a customer is operating differently than usual.

If someone suddenly begins transferring large sums to unfamiliar crypto wallets or deviates from historic transaction patterns, financial institutions can trigger enhanced verification or delay the transfer.“I see more and more financial institutions wanting to challenge rigid approaches and use adaptive fraud models that can quickly adjust to evolving fraud attack vectors,” says Kim Sutherland, vice-president of fraud and identity strategy at LexisNexis Risk Solutions.

“To fight fraud, these evolving AI-powered models are going to be really important.” The company's Digital Identity Network enables institutions to share anonymised intelligence, helping identify repeat fraud patterns across multiple entities.

“Often the fraudster does not operate in just one financial institution or with just one victim,” Sutherland says.“If we can help customers share those insights, we can better identify fraudulent activities.”

Breaking the Spell

The most immediate defence remains simple.“The best advice is to confide in someone you trust,” Woods says.“Even if you don't think it's a scam, another person's perspective can't do any harm.”

Requests for urgent funds, particularly via cryptocurrency, gift cards or reward points, are strong warning signs. Insistence on secrecy is another. If someone suspects fraud, they should contact their bank immediately, preserve communications and report the incident to authorities. Above all, experts stress that victims should not blame themselves.

Romance scams are engineered psychological operations, now enhanced by artificial intelligence. They exploit human vulnerability, not stupidity. Beth Hyland has turned her devastation into advocacy, working with anti-scam organisations to raise awareness.

“No one should ever have to experience this kind of heartbreak,” she says. The technology may be new, but the crime remains the same: manipulation at scale. What has changed is how convincingly it can now be delivered.

MENAFN28022026000049011007ID1110804180