Meta said it recently worked with research firm Graphika to take down romance scams in three common categories: those impersonating military officers, celebrity mimics and scammers posing as fake match-making agencies that target people in Africa — “claiming to offer opportunities to meet rich men from Western countries or build relationships with ‘African women.'".
Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta Platforms is urging users to stay vigilant about “ romance scams ” ahead of Valentine's Day, warning of unsolicited messages through its apps and other social media platforms, as well as general text messages.
In addition to taking down scam networks, Meta says it is testing other tools to combat bad actors, including facial recognition technology that compares suspicious users' profile photos against a public figure's image.
They often claim to have military, medical or business backgrounds, with photos either stolen from real people's accounts or generated through artificial intelligence.
A scammer than builds trust over a period of time before they ask their target for money — either by claiming hardship or offering investment opportunities, usually in cryptocurrency.
