Romance scams are the form of fraud most closely tied to online dating, and the most reliable UK figures come from UK Finance, the trade body for banks and payment firms. Its Annual Fraud Report 2026, published on 15 June 2026, covers 2025. The numbers apply to payments made from UK accounts and describe scams reported to banks, so they capture only part of the picture. This guide summarises what the report says and what it suggests for anyone using dating apps. It is general information, not financial advice.
The headline numbers
UK Finance records romance scam losses of £39.2 million in 2025, up 23%, across 6,335 cases, up 22%. Both are the highest totals ever reported, and the report notes that this is the fifth consecutive year in which the number of cases has increased. In 2020 the equivalent figures were £17.8 million and 2,325 cases. Almost all of the total relates to personal accounts: £38.7 million across 6,298 personal cases, with the remainder coming from non-personal accounts.
How UK Finance describes the scam
In its definition, the victim is persuaded to make a payment to a person they have met, often online through social media or dating websites, and with whom they believe they are in a relationship. Fraudsters use fake profiles to start a relationship that they try to develop over a longer period. Once trust is established, the criminal claims to be experiencing a problem, such as an issue with a visa, health issues or flight tickets, and asks for money to help. Our guide to how to spot a romance scammer covers those tactics in detail.
Small payments, repeated
One statistic stands out: romance scams involved an average of 9.7 payments per scam, the highest of all eight APP scam types in the report. UK Finance says this shows that criminals build up trust over a period, usually targeting smaller amounts to begin with. Payments in 2025 totalled 61,501, up 25%. For daters, the practical lesson is that the first request may be modest and easy to explain away, and that the pattern matters more than any single payment. Our guides to financial red flags in dating conversations and protecting financial information set out where to draw the line.
What was returned to victims
The report says £26.2 million of the losses was returned to victims in 2025, and that 67% of all losses related to romance scams were returned. That is a share of reported losses that were returned, not a guarantee that any individual will be reimbursed. The report also explains that in October 2024 the Payment Systems Regulator introduced mandatory reimbursement rules for authorised push payment fraud, and that these apply to payments up to a stated limit of £85,000 with claims to be made within 13 months, whereas UK Finance’s data covers a wider range of payments and accounts. Our guide to bank transfer scams and the reimbursement rules explains the rules, and our guide to recovering after a romance scam covers reporting and support.
Why the figures are a snapshot
UK Finance cautions that some scam types have a long gestation period. Its data captures the loss when the fraud has been confirmed, and it can take time, sometimes years, before individuals realise they have been the victim of an investment or romance scam and report it, so many cases logged in 2025 are likely to have been initiated earlier. It also says that data are compiled only once members have investigated and closed cases, that not all incidents are included, and that the report cannot be considered definitive on where a fraud began. The figures show reported cases, not the total number of romance scams, and readers should treat them as a minimum.
The wider context
Total payment fraud losses were £1.28 billion in 2025, up 4%, and authorised push payment losses were £576.4 million, up 19%. UK Finance says impersonation scams involving banks and police fell to record lows, while frauds that often begin online and persuade people to make payments for seemingly legitimate goods, services or opportunities, including purchase, investment and romance scams, reached their highest levels on record.
Frequently asked questions
Are the figures for the whole UK? They cover reported payments from UK accounts held with UK Finance members, so they are UK-wide, but they do not include cases that were never reported to a bank.
Does the 67% figure mean a victim will get money back? No. It is the proportion of reported romance scam losses that were returned in 2025, not a guarantee for an individual.
What is UK Finance’s advice? To stop and think before parting with money or information, to challenge requests because criminals rush or panic people, and to protect yourself by contacting your bank immediately if you have been scammed.
The bottom line
Romance scam losses and cases both reached record highs in the UK in 2025, at £39.2 million and 6,335 cases, and the typical scam involved nearly ten payments as trust was built. Treating any request for money from someone met online as a warning sign, however small the first request, is the clearest lesson from the data.