US prosecutors have warned of Valentine’s Day romance scams utilizing crypto after instances price victims thousands and thousands.
Prosecutors within the US state of Ohio have issued a public warning urging Individuals to observe for love scams tied to cryptocurrency as they rejoice Valentine’s Day.
The alert drew consideration to an increase in emotionally pushed fraud instances the place victims are persuaded to ship digital belongings after forming on-line relationships.
Federal Warning Outlines Newest Techniques
The US Lawyer’s Workplace for the Northern District of Ohio said criminals usually strategy targets by means of courting apps, social platforms, or textual content messages, then construct belief for weeks or months earlier than requesting cash for fabricated emergencies or investments.
In line with US Lawyer David M. Toepfer, scammers “prey on belief and emotion,” and so they “usually are not on the lookout for love—they’re on the lookout for cash.” He added that such criminals usually deal with older adults and emotionally weak people.
His workplace additionally cited latest prosecutions and investigations, together with a December 2025 case the place authorities charged Frederick Kumi, a Ghanaian nationwide accused of serving to run a romance fraud community that allegedly took greater than $8 million from aged victims since 2023. Per investigators, the group used AI instruments to create false identities and keep convincing conversations earlier than requesting cash. Kumi was arrested in Ghana and is dealing with expenses together with wire fraud conspiracy and cash laundering conspiracy.
One other case concerned an Ohio girl who lost about $663,000 after a stranger contacted her by means of a “improper quantity” textual content. The fraudster later guided her by means of opening accounts on Crypto.com and Coinbase, then satisfied her to switch funds to a faux funding platform.
Fortuitously, detectives from the FBI traced a part of the stolen cash to cryptocurrency wallets and seized greater than $8.2 million in USDT with assist from Tether.
You may additionally like:
Information Exhibits Wider Development in Crypto-Linked Fraud
Current trade analysis suggests these crimes match a broader sample, as proven in a January 2026 report from blockchain safety agency PeckShield, which estimated that crypto scams and hacks price customers greater than $4 billion in 2025, with about $1.37 billion tied to scams alone.
The corporate stated losses from scams rose about 64% from the earlier yr, usually involving personalised impersonation techniques geared toward high-value targets.
The Ohio prosecutors have really helpful a number of ways in which folks can defend themselves from romance tricksters, together with reverse picture searches on profile photographs, skepticism towards anybody who refuses to fulfill in individual, and a tough rule towards sending cryptocurrency, present playing cards, or wire transfers to folks met on-line.
Additionally they suggested victims to protect all communications and monetary information, then file stories with the FBI’s Web Crime Criticism Heart. Moreover, the Nationwide Elder Fraud Hotline operates every day to information older adults by means of the reporting course of.
In line with the officers, for individuals who could have despatched crypto, time issues, since regulation enforcement can freeze stolen belongings, however provided that wallets are recognized earlier than funds transfer by means of mixers or abroad exchanges.
SECRET PARTNERSHIP BONUS for CryptoPotato readers: Use this hyperlink to register and unlock $1,500 in unique BingX Change rewards (restricted time supply).
