AI Chatbots Are Catfishing Thousands on 28 Fake Dating Apps
That charming match might not be real — and the apps want your money.
Here's what happened: researchers at Anthropic noticed one prepaid account sending more than 100,000 requests a day to Claude. That account turned out to be running roughly 28 fake dating apps with names like Dora, Romi and Doni. Instead of real singles, the apps were staffed mainly by AI chatbots pretending to be women looking for love.
The scam works like this: you match with someone who seems warm and interested, and 'she' messages you constantly. In reality, an AI writes most of those replies. The apps also invented fake likes, fake profile visitors and pre-recorded 'video' to make everything feel alive. A handful of paid workers — real humans — were hired just to pass video identity checks, and they didn't even write their own messages; they tapped one of three pre-written replies. Only one in four of the 'women' you match with is a human worker at all. When you ask to video chat, the AI offers convincing excuses.
The catch is that these apps didn't look fake. Their descriptions promised 'real connection' and 'real companionship,' and many stayed live on major US app stores even after the scheme was exposed. Several AI tools were involved: one model handled the chatting, another scored how attractive you'd find a photo, and an image editor created the profile pictures.
What to do: be suspicious of anyone who refuses to video chat, rushes you toward paying, or asks for money or personal details. Report the app, and remember that a fast, flattering conversation is exactly what a bot is built to produce.
- Anthropic traced one account's 100,000 daily AI requests to about 28 fake dating apps.
- Only one in four 'matches' was a real paid worker; the rest were AI chatbots.
- Fake likes, visitors and videos kept users paying — and the apps stayed on US app stores.
Why It Matters
If you date online, that flattering match could be AI built to drain your wallet.