Security & Privacy
How much money is lost to romance scams every day?
A live estimate of financial losses to romance fraud worldwide
Roughly $195 in estimated global losses every second. (estimated, same model as the counter)
Source: FTC Consumer Sentinel 2022; FBI IC3 2024. View on dashboard →
What is romance fraud?
Romance scams are among the fastest-growing fraud categories. US FTC reported losses grew from $76 million (2016) to $1.3 billion (2022) and are on track for ~$1.54 billion in 2025 (based on $1.16B in just the first 9 months, +22% year-on-year). Most victims don't report; actual losses are higher. Globally, with unreported cases and other countries, total losses likely reach $6+ billion per year. The shift to cryptocurrency in 2019-2021 increased per-victim losses, since crypto is nearly impossible to recover.
What this means for you
The median US victim of romance fraud loses $4,400, but that number hides an extreme distribution. FTC data shows that adults over 70 lose more than any other age group, with median losses exceeding $9,000. Many victims lose retirement savings or take out loans before realising what is happening.
The financial loss is rarely the most painful part. Victims describe months of emotional investment, an intimate relationship they believed was real, which makes the betrayal psychologically devastating. Studies find that victims are twice as likely to develop depression or PTSD compared to victims of property crime.
If someone you have met online is asking for money, for any reason, however compelling, and you have not met them in person or verified their identity via a live, unscripted video call, you should treat the request with extreme scepticism. Romance scammers are trained to make money requests feel natural and urgent.
The financial toll: what the data shows
US romance scam losses grew from $76M (2016) to $1.3 billion (2022), a 17× increase in 6 years
Federal Trade CommissionCryptocurrency overtook gift cards as the most common romance scam payment in 2021
Federal Trade CommissionMedian romance scam loss: $4,400 in 2022 (FTC); up from $2,400 in 2021
Federal Trade Commission46% of romance scam victims first contact their "romance" on Facebook or Instagram (FTC 2023)
Federal Trade CommissionPig-butchering crypto investment scams cost US victims $5.8 billion in 2024 alone (FBI IC3)
FBI / IC3Romance scam losses vs. dating scam victims, today
Every victim who falls for romance fraud represents not just emotional damage but significant financial loss, the median US victim loses $4,400, many lose life savings.
The economics of romance fraud: from fake profiles to stolen savings
The fastest-growing fraud category
Romance scam losses in the US grew 17× in six years: from $76 million (2016) to $1.3 billion (2022). This outpaced almost every other fraud category. The drivers: the explosive growth of online dating platforms (providing an endless victim pipeline), the adoption of cryptocurrency enabling irreversible transfers, and the industrialisation of fraud through Southeast Asian scam compounds, where thousands of workers are sometimes themselves victims of human trafficking forced to run scam operations.
Global dimensions
The US data, comprehensive as it is, captures only a fraction of global romance fraud. The UK, Australia, Canada, and European nations all report significant losses. Southeast Asian scam compounds, documented in Cambodia, Myanmar, and the Philippines, have become global fraud factories, with operations targeting victims across North America, Europe, East Asia, and beyond. Interpol, the US State Department, and investigative journalists have documented compounds holding hundreds of trafficked workers who are forced to run romance scam operations.
How romance scam losses escalated
- 2016FTC begins systematic romance scam tracking; $76M in reported US losses
- 2019$203M US losses; cryptocurrency requests appear in romance scam reports for first time
- 2021$547M US losses (FTC record); crypto payments grow 25× from 2019; pig-butchering spreads globally
- 2022$1.3B US romance scam losses (FTC); 17× growth from 2016 in 6 years
- 2024Pig-butchering + romance fraud totals $5.8B in US crypto investment losses alone (FBI IC3)
- 2025FTC: $1.16 billion reported in just 9 months (+22%), romance scams outpace all other fraud categories; median loss $2,218 per victim
Romance scam loss trends: 2016-2025
Romance scam losses grew 17× from $76 million in 2016 to $1.3 billion in 2022. The shift to cryptocurrency payments made losses irreversible and dramatically increased per-victim amounts.
| Year | Rate | Est. per day | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | $10/sec | $821K | Social media romance scams grow |
| 2020 | $38/sec | $3.3M | COVID drives online-only relationships; crypto begins |
| 2022 | $158/sec | $13.7M | Pig-butchering mainstream; crypto standard |
| 2024 | $161/sec | $13.9M | Pig-butchering dominates; scam compounds industrialised |
| 2025 | $195/sec | $16.8M | Romance scams outpace all other FTC fraud categories; +22% year-on-year |
| 2027 (forecast) | $317/sec | $27.4M | AI-generated personas and voice cloning make scams harder to detect |
Research on financial harm from romance fraud
| Year | Finding | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | FTC: ~$76 million in US romance scam losses (baseline year); baseline for FTC tracking | 76.0M USD losses (US, FTC) | Federal Trade Commission |
| 2019 | FTC: ~$203 million in US romance scam losses | 203.0M USD losses (US, FTC) | Federal Trade Commission |
| 2020 | FTC: $304 million; fourfold increase since 2016 | 304.0M USD losses (US, FTC) | Federal Trade Commission |
| 2021 | FTC: $547 million, record; crypto payments ×5 over 2020 | 547.0M USD losses (US, FTC) | Federal Trade Commission |
| 2022 | FTC: $1.3 billion reported by ~70,000 people; median loss $4,400; #1 fraud category by loss | 1.3B USD losses (US, FTC) | Federal Trade Commission |
| 2024 | FBI IC3 2024: $672M in romance/confidence fraud losses (US); crypto investment fraud (pig-butchering, often initiated via dating apps) added $5.8B in a separate IC3 category | 672.0M USD losses (US, FBI IC3 2024) | FBI / IC3 |
| 2025 | FTC Jan-Sep 2025: $1.16 billion in romance scam losses reported by 55,604 victims (+22% vs same period 2024); median loss per victim $2,218 in Q3 2025; outpaced all other fraud categories | 1.2B USD losses (US, FTC, Jan-Sep 2025) | Federal Trade Commission |
How the number is calculated
The live counter uses the 2025 observed rate of ~$195/sec, derived from the FTC partial 2025 data ($1.16B reported in Jan-Sep 2025, +22% year-on-year). Annualizing: ~$1.54B US FTC × ~4 global multiplier for other countries and underreporting → ~$6.2B global annually ÷ 31,536,000 seconds ≈ $197/sec; rounded to $195/sec. Earlier FBI IC3 2024 figure ($672M US romance/confidence fraud) scaled globally implied ~$80/sec; the 2025 FTC partial data shows a sharp upward step. Global estimates carry significant uncertainty due to widespread underreporting.
Sources used: FTC Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book (annual, 2014-2024) - FTC Data Spotlight - Romance Scammers' Favorite Lies (2023) - FTC - Romance Scam Losses Spotlight (2025 partial year, Jan-Sep) - FBI IC3 Internet Crime Report 2025. Full methodology: methodology page.
Frequently asked questions
- How much money is lost to romance scams per year?
- FTC reported US losses: $1.3 billion in 2022, ~$1.27 billion in 2024 (estimated from 2025 year-on-year data), and on track for ~$1.54 billion in full-year 2025 ($1.16B in just Jan-Sep). Globally, accounting for other countries and unreported cases, total losses are estimated at $6+ billion annually.
- How has cryptocurrency changed romance scams?
- Cryptocurrency payment requests in romance scams grew 25× from 2019 to 2021 (FTC). By 2022, cryptocurrency was the most common payment method requested by romance scammers. Crypto transfers are irreversible, anonymous, and international, making recovery virtually impossible and law enforcement extremely difficult.
- What is the median loss per victim?
- The FTC reported a median individual loss of $4,400 in 2022. By Q3 2025, the median had declined to $2,218 per victim, likely reflecting more younger and lower-income victims filing reports as awareness grew. However, pig-butchering victims who invest in fraudulent cryptocurrency platforms often lose hundreds of thousands of dollars, sometimes their entire life savings.
How the romance fraud loss estimate is sourced and verified
The primary source is the FTC Consumer Sentinel Network annual data spotlight on romance scams, published each February. FTC Consumer Sentinel collects reports from 35+ law enforcement partner organizations. For cryptocurrency component data, the FBI IC3 annual report and Chainalysis Crypto Crime Report are used as supplementary sources.
Sources
FTC Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book (annual, 2014-2024) - FTC Data Spotlight - Romance Scammers' Favorite Lies (2023) - FTC - Romance Scam Losses Spotlight (2025 partial year, Jan-Sep) - FBI IC3 Internet Crime Report 2025. Full methodology: methodology page.
Explore related statistics: Dating scam victims - Online scam victims - Phishing emails, and the live AnythingCounter dashboard.