You’ve Talked for Months. You’ve Never Met. Are They Real?
UK romance scam losses annually
romance scam reports to Action Fraud yearly
to verify with Certifyd
The reality of romance scams in the UK.
Romance scam protection with Certifyd provides cryptographic proof that the person you’re communicating with is who they claim to be. Romance scammers create elaborate fake identities — stolen photos, fabricated backstories, and now AI-generated faces and voices. Certifyd verification doesn’t analyse photos or voices. It requires the person to prove their identity through a device-bound passkey: a cryptographic challenge that only the real person can complete on their registered device. If someone won’t or can’t verify, that tells you everything you need to know.
Romance scams cost UK victims over £31 million annually, with over 8,000 reports to Action Fraud each year. The true figure is likely much higher — shame prevents many victims from reporting. Victims lose an average of £9,000 each, with some cases exceeding £100,000. The emotional damage often exceeds the financial loss.
AI has supercharged romance scams. Scammers now use AI-generated profile photos that don’t appear in reverse image searches, chatbots that maintain convincing conversations around the clock, and deepfake video calls that allow a scammer to appear as anyone. The traditional red flags (‘they won’t video call’, ‘their photos are stolen’) are becoming unreliable as the technology improves.
The fundamental vulnerability in romance scams is unverified identity. The victim believes they’re talking to someone real because the conversation feels real. Certifyd provides a simple, non-confrontational way to request verification: ‘I like you — let’s both verify on Certifyd so we know we’re both real.’ If the other person can’t or won’t complete device-bound verification, the answer is clear — before money changes hands.
This is broken.
Here's why.
AI-generated photos, voices, and even video calls make it impossible to verify identity visually.
Scammers build emotional connections over weeks or months before requesting money.
Victims are emotionally invested before they realise the identity is fake.
Traditional red flags (won’t video call, stolen photos) are becoming unreliable as AI improves.
Simple verification.
Every time.
You ask the person you’re talking to to verify on Certifyd — a simple, non-confrontational request
Both of you open Certifyd and complete a device-bound passkey authentication
If both identities are verified, you know you’re talking to a real person with a verified identity
If they can’t or won’t verify, that tells you everything — before you send money
Ready to see it in action?
Book a demo or tell us about your needs.
Common questions.
Certifyd provides a way to verify that the person you’re talking to online is real. By requesting mutual Certifyd verification early in an online relationship, you can confirm that the other person has a device-bound, cryptographic identity. A scammer using stolen photos, AI-generated personas, or deepfake video cannot complete this verification because they don’t have a registered device linked to the identity they’re claiming.
In an era of pervasive online fraud, requesting identity verification is a reasonable and increasingly normal step. Framing it positively (‘Let’s both verify so we know we’re real’) makes it mutual, not accusatory. A genuine person will understand and welcome the step. Someone who refuses or makes excuses is showing you exactly what you need to know.
Certifyd doesn’t analyse photos or voices to detect AI generation — that’s an arms race. Instead, it requires the person to prove their identity through a physical device. An AI-generated persona doesn’t have a physical device with a registered passkey. The verification either succeeds (real person, verified device) or it doesn’t. No grey areas, no analysis, no guesswork.
Yes. Dating platforms could offer Certifyd verification as a trust signal on profiles. A verified badge backed by device-bound cryptographic authentication is fundamentally more trustworthy than photo verification (which deepfakes can defeat) or social media linking (which fake accounts can imitate). For platforms serious about user safety, Certifyd provides the strongest possible identity assurance.
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Verify the person, not just the profile
Book a demo to see how Certifyd works for your team, or tell us about your verification needs and we'll get back to you within 24 hours.
Read: The Trust Layer That’s Missing