TL;DR: Romance scams — a large share of which now begin on dating apps or social media — cost Americans $672 million in 2024 according to the FBI's IC3, with the FTC separately reporting romance-scam losses exceeding $800 million using its own consumer-report data for the same year.
Romance scams — a large share of which now begin on dating apps or social media — cost Americans $672 million in 2024 according to the FBI's IC3, with the FTC separately reporting romance-scam losses exceeding $800 million using its own consumer-report data for the same year.
What the Data Shows
The two agencies count and report romance-scam losses somewhat differently, which is why the figures don't match exactly, but both tell the same story: romance and dating-app scams remain one of the costliest fraud categories per victim, because they unfold over weeks of relationship-building before any money is requested.
Why This Matters
Numbers like these are a reminder that this isn’t a rare event — it’s a routine risk. Checking whether your own information has already been exposed takes 30 seconds and costs nothing.
If this looks similar to something else you've seen, it's worth reading Deepfake Fraud Statistics 2026.
This pattern shows up elsewhere too — see Package Delivery Scam Statistics 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do the numbers actually show?
Romance scams — a large share of which now begin on dating apps or social media — cost Americans $672 million in 2024 according to the FBI's IC3, with the FTC separately reporting romance-scam losses exceeding $800 million using its own consumer-report data for the same year.
What does this mean for you?
The two agencies count and report romance-scam losses somewhat differently, which is why the figures don't match exactly, but both tell the same story: romance and dating-app scams remain one of the costliest fraud categories per victim, because they unfold over weeks of relationship-building before any money is requested.
Where does this data come from?
This data is drawn from FBI IC3 – 2024 Internet Crime Report, a primary reporting source for fraud and identity theft data.