Romance scams costlier than ever: 10 percent of victims lose $10,000 or more

This report summarizes a Malwarebytes survey on romance scams, highlighting pervasive targeting (over half within the last year), severe financial losses (10% losing $10k+, 3% $100k+), and minimal recovery rates, with primary vectors on social media and dating apps. It outlines key tactics including pig-butchering crypto fraud, use of AI/deepfakes, rapid trust-building, and platform migration, notes older adults as frequent targets, and provides practical detection, prevention, and reporting guidance supported by FTC/FBI statistics.