An AI video scam targeting a woman used deepfake technology to impersonate actor Steve Burton, leading the victim to lose $81,000 and forced her to sell her home.

Organised love scammers are gearing up for a flurry of fraud before Valentine’s Day, according to a cybersecurity company. Virtual private network provider NordVPN said scammers were mobilising for Saturday’s day of romance and it detected a January spike in scammer activity.

Romance scams rely on a small number of psychological levers, applied repeatedly. Finding their victims online through various platforms, romance scammers accelerate intimacy, often expressing strong feelings unusually early. Then, they isolate their target.