Protect Your Heart & Wallet in 2026
Mending a broken heart may take time but mending your finances from a romance scam can be avoided if you know what to look for.
What Is a Romance Scam?
Romance scams are when fraudsters use social engineering to gain your trust and then strike, stealing your money and property.
They are far more common than you may think, especially when you can easily meet people online through dating websites and apps, social media, online chats and email. In this blog, we’ll discuss ways to avoid falling for a romance scam and what to do if you become a victim of one. We’ll also discuss emerging scams in 2026.
How Romance Scams Impact Your Financial and Mental Health
Becoming a romance scam victim can have a life-changing impact on your financial wellbeing and mental health. Fraudsters use friendship and romance to gain your trust and, once they have it, go after sensitive personal information to steal your money, credit and possibly your identity.
Victims also may suffer post-traumatic stress, anxiety, depression and shame.
Three Ways To Protect Yourself: According to the FBI, there are several ways to protect yourself from romance scams. These apply to both online and in-person dating.
- Be Careful What You Post Online: Scammers use what people post online to get to know their victims. They gather your profile details to better understand who you are before targeting you. Stay vigilant when meeting new people and keep sensitive data to yourself.
- Get To Know the Individual: Research who you are getting to know by looking online to see if an image, name or details have already been used in other places. Reverse image lookup can be a great tool for this purpose. Ask a lot of questions. If an individual seems too good to be true, they might be.
- Avoid Extortion and Isolation: If the individual asks for inappropriate photos of you, do not send them as they can later be used to extort money from you or isolate you from your family and friends. Additionally, never send money to individuals you have never met in person.
Using your best judgement when meeting people online is crucial for avoiding falling victim to romance scams. Properly screening someone before you open your world to them can help you stay vigilant for fraudsters trying to take advantage of you. Additionally, there are other emerging scams to keep an eye out for in 2026.
Top Four Emerging Scams in 2026
Scams can come in all shapes and forms, especially with today’s emerging technology. The use of AI is now aiding fraudsters to make their scams look more realistic. Here are four that you should be aware of going into 2026 and beyond.
- Generative AI Fraud: Fraudsters are leveraging generative AI to create voice, video, pictures and fake documents that impersonate people you may know. Although these can be very believable, it is important to verify the identity of those reaching out to you. A way to combat generative AI is to set up multifactor authentication using biometric verification and identity-theft protection services, according to Yahoo.com.
- “Fake Identity” Fraud: Fraudsters use real Social Security numbers and personal information from real individuals but with fabricated names and addresses. These fake identities can harm your credit by opening accounts using your Social Security number. The main concern with this type of fraud is that the fake identities can tie back to your real data, according to Yahoo.com. Review your credit report regularly for any suspicious activity to protect your identity and credit.
- Subscription and Data Traps: These new scams are disguised as “free tools” or “trial services” but with the intent of trapping individuals into a subscription that continues to use your data well after the free trial period has ended. The scheme will have you trapped in a subscription or data-resale contract outlined in the fine print but not easily accessible to you. This will lead to the selling of your personal data, such as your behavioral, financial or identity data, without your knowledge. A great way to ensure you do not fall prey to these types of scams is to use a virtual or masked card so that you can cut off any charges should you be charged outside of the “free” trial period.
- Smart Home Hijacking: As your home becomes more dependent on Wi-Fi and connected to the internet, things such as security systems, thermostats and appliances can become hijacked by fraudsters. According to a consumer report mentioned by Yahoo.com[MS1.1], 2,084 U.S. adults surveyed found that one-fifth owned a smart appliance and 7% actively use the smart features. With those numbers expected to rise, be aware that weak or defaulted passwords may expose home networks to cyber-attacks. Setting up stronger passwords and using a separate guest Wi-Fi can add a layer of protection.
Fraudsters are always changing their strategies as more consumers become aware of their tactics. With the use of technology increasing every day and the addition of AI, scams are becoming more complex. Knowing what to look out for, using additional verification processes and deploying more complex passwords can protect your financial wellness and home.
How Travis Credit Union Can Help
Travis Credit Union cares about your financial wellness, including protecting you from fraud and scams. Visit our Fighting Fraud page to learn more so you avoid becoming a victim. Also, the TCU Knowledge Base offers free online courses on a variety of topics, including how to protect yourself from identity theft. To see TCU can do for you, visit Traviscu.org.