Online dating should be about connection, trust, and genuine relationships. Sadly, for many, it’s also where scammers take advantage of emotions and online anonymity to exploit their victims. Romance fraud has become one of the most damaging forms of online crime, with losses climbing every year. Fraudsters use fake identities, stolen photos, and elaborate stories to manipulate people into sending money. And increasingly, they are using AI to make their scams even more convincing.
As online scams become more sophisticated, personal safety in digital communication has never been more important.
Real connections, no impersonation
The traditional ways of combating online scams, such as blocking accounts and reporting suspicious behaviour, are reactive. Scammers create new profiles faster than platforms can take them down. The solution lies in stopping fraud at its source, ensuring that every person communicating online is real and accountable.
aOK – a clever new messaging platform – makes that possible by setting a new standard for online trust through identity verification, ensuring that only real people can connect and interact. You can sign up free of charge here.
The rising threat of romance fraud
Scammers rely on anonymity and emotional manipulation to carry out romance fraud. They create attractive profiles using stolen photos, build trust quickly through constant messaging, and then introduce a crisis—a sick relative, an urgent business investment, or a stranded travel situation. The goal is always the same: to convince the victim to send money.
Common tactics include:
- Fake identities crafted using stolen photos and AI-generated images
- Love-bombing, where fraudsters flood victims with attention and affection to build trust quickly
- Financial scams, often framed as emergencies or investment opportunities
- Excuses to avoid meeting in person, such as military deployment, international travel, or strict work obligations
A particularly dangerous variation of romance scams is pig butchering, a long-term financial fraud scheme where scammers build emotional connections with victims before convincing them to invest in fraudulent schemes, often tied to cryptocurrency. These scams not only devastate victims financially but have also been linked to organised crime networks that traffic individuals and force them to operate scam centres.
The power of verified connections
Identity verification eliminates the anonymity that scammers depend on. aOK, an invite-only messaging platform, requires every user to verify their identity once before they can communicate. This approach prevents fake profiles, bot-driven scams, and impersonation.
The system verifies users in seconds using government-issued IDs and biometric face matching. The technology also uses AI to ensure accurate verification across different demographics. Through this integration, every user on aOK is a verified individual, creating a messaging space free from scams and synthetic identities.
aOK: A secure, invite-only messaging network
Unlike traditional messaging platforms that allow open sign-ups and unsolicited messages, aOK is built for security and trust. Every connection is verified, and every conversation is encrypted.
Key features include:
- Invite-only access, ensuring that users only communicate with verified individuals
- End-to-end encryption, protecting messages from being accessed or monitored
- No tracking or data selling, prioritising user privacy
- No unsolicited messages, eliminating the risks associated with random online interactions
This level of control allows people to communicate with confidence, knowing they are speaking with real individuals instead of unknown accounts or potential fraudsters.
Redefining online trust
aOK’s secure messaging platform creates a new approach to online safety. Every user is verified before they can send a message, which removes opportunities for scams and impersonation. Privacy remains intact, as verification does not mean exposure—users control who they interact with, and personal details are never shared beyond the verification process.
This approach does more than eliminate romance scams. It creates a safer space for communication in personal, professional, and business settings. Whether for dating, networking, or private conversations, verified messaging builds trust in a way that anonymous platforms cannot.
Get Safe Online’s top tips on protecting yourself from romance fraud can be found here.
