The Dark Side of Valentine's Day: AI Romance Scams | Cybersecurity Today

This special Valentine's Day episode of Cybersecurity Today examines romance scams (often called pig butchering) and how fraudsters exploit trust, vulnerability, and loneliness.

Host Jim Love speaks with McAfee Head of Threat Research Abhishek Karnik about new findings showing the scale and demographics of these scams, including widespread encounters with fake or AI-generated profiles, frequent financial solicitations, and that men are also heavily impacted.

Cybersecurity Today would like to thank Meter for their support in bringing you this podcast. Meter delivers a complete networking stack, wired, wireless and cellular in one integrated solution that's built for performance and scale. You can find them at Meter.com/cst

The episode features survivor Beth Highland's detailed account of being manipulated via Tinder through long-term messaging, an AI video call, forged documents, and a crypto payout scheme that led her to send about $26,000 via Bitcoin ATMs before her financial advisor—trained in romance fraud—helped her recognize the scam and stop further losses, including a demanded $50,000 "activation fee." Beth discusses emotional aftereffects, stigma, reporting, red flags, and her book, "Diary of a Romance Scam:

When Swiping Right Goes Wrong," along with her advocacy work. The conversation broadens to the role of AI in making scams more realistic (deepfakes, voice/video, document generation), the importance of privacy and not overposting, involving trusted family/advisors, institutional training and intervention points along the fraud "kill chain," and using technology and education to detect and reduce scams.

LINKS Beth Hyland's Book - Diary of a Romance Scam: When Swiping Right Goes Wrong https://www.amazon.com/Diary-Romance-Scam-Swiping-Right/dp/1662962843

00:00 Sponsor: Meter's all-in-one networking stack 00:18 Valentine's Day on the dark side: heartbreak meets cybercrime 02:15 Romance scams ("pig butchering") are everywhere—who gets targeted 04:15 McAfee research: fake profiles, AI, and the real victim demographics 07:07 How scammers hook you: profiling, psychology, and long-game manipulation 09:01 Beth's story begins: post-divorce, isolation, and trying Tinder 10:36 The perfect match: mirroring, fast intimacy, and early red flags 14:32 AI video call + the push-pull breakup: emotional control tactics 17:09 The money trap: Qatar story, bank access, and Bitcoin ATM payments 23:34 The $50K "activation fee" and the wake-up call from a financial advisor 26:25 Cutting him off—and getting pulled back in by guilt and gaslighting 30:18 How to help victims: listening, tools, and where to get support 33:17 Turning pain into purpose: Beth's book and grieving a romance scam 34:47 Turning Pain Into Purpose: Supporting Romance-Scam Survivors 35:56 Stop Blaming Victims: Changing the Language Around Scams 38:38 "It Can Happen to Anybody": Why Smart People Get Hooked 40:58 Social Engineering 101: How Scams Exploit Different Emotions 42:14 Why McAfee Is Focusing on Consumer Scams (and the AI Factor) 45:43 AI Deepfakes & Low-Cost Tools: The New Scam Industrialization 49:19 Oversharing, Spearphishing & Replay Attacks: How Victims Get Retargeted 53:24 Practical Red Flags: Meeting in Person, Isolation Tactics, Family Checks 57:08 Training the "Kill Chain": Banks, Cashiers, Advisors & Early Intervention 01:00:33 Tech Fighting Tech: Detection, Identity Protection & Digital Assistants 01:02:57 What's Next: Agentic AI, Bigger Attack Surfaces & Trust-and-Safety by Design 01:08:03 Wrap-Up: Start the Conversation, Resources, and Final Thanks