Cybersecurity firm F6 has released the results of a study on fraud schemes involving dating sites and apps. During the first quarter of 2026, criminals successfully stole nearly 300 million rubles from users using 10 popular scenarios. The most common method, FakeDate, accounted for 63% of all thefts. This was reported by Ixbt.com .
Experts note that scammers are actively using Telegram bots and artificial intelligence (AI) tools to automate their operations, making it easier to enter the world of cybercrime. The study also identified the main target demographics: primarily young men, individuals lacking self-confidence, and users with low-quality profile photos.
The most financially lucrative scheme proved to be the search for lost crypto wallets (BTC Search), where the average stolen amount reached 32,072 rubles. Second place went to NFT token resale schemes (29,103 rubles), followed by cryptocurrency trading fraud (22,986 rubles).
Mariya Sinitsina, a senior analyst at F6's Digital Risk Protection department, urged users to be vigilant. According to her, human vulnerabilities such as loneliness and a lack of social interaction serve as the primary weapons for cybercriminals. In the digital age, searching for friendship or romantic relationships often leads to traps carefully prepared by scammers.
Read “Zamin” on Telegram!
