Online dating has always had a fake profile problem, but artificial intelligence has turbocharged it to an alarming degree. According to a 2025 survey by Security.org, 58% of dating app users now say they are worried about encountering AI-generated profiles — and with good reason. Industry analysts estimate that on some major platforms, artificially created accounts may account for a significant share of total profiles.
The mechanics of the scam have grown more sophisticated. Fraudsters are no longer limited to stock photos and clumsy copy-paste bios. AI image generators can produce photorealistic portraits of people who do not exist, complete with varied angles and natural backgrounds. AI voice tools can then be layered on top of video calls to make interactions feel eerily convincing — right up until the moment the "romance scam" request for money arrives.
Platforms are fighting back. Bumble has deployed an AI-powered "Deception Detector" that the company claims catches 95% of spam and fake profiles before they ever reach a user's inbox. Match Group has rolled out Face Check, a biometric liveness test on Tinder that requires new accounts to match their face in real time against their profile photo. Hinge has announced plans to require full profile verification for all members by the end of 2026.
These tools help, but the arms race is real. For users, the practical advice remains straightforward: move quickly to video call, be sceptical of anyone who avoids it, and never send money to someone you have not met in person.
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Fortune — Dating Apps Are Banking on AI to Win Over Gen ZThis article is written in our own words and summarises publicly available reporting. All credit for original reporting goes to the source above.