Gone With the Shame: One in Two Americans Are Reluctant to Talk About Romance Scam Incidents

Gone With the Shame: One in Two Americans Are Reluctant to Talk About Romance Scam Incidents reports that 12 February 2026 marks the publicising of a survey revealing that one in two Americans are reluctant to discuss romance scam incidents. The press release notes that 55% of Americans who lost money to romance scammers believe it is less shameful to fall victim to other types of scams than romance scams, and that almost a fifth of victims did not report the incident.

According to NordProtect, 15% of respondents reported losing money to romance scams, with 19% of men versus 11% of women reporting they were victims, and 71% of men compared with 55% of women noticing fraudulent accounts. The research also highlights gender- and age-related targeting, with 75% of men aged 35–44 noticing fraudulent profiles on digital dating platforms.

The most common reporting channels cited were banks or credit card issuers (27%), family and friends (26%), and local police (21%), with 19% not reporting to any institution. The survey was conducted 14–24 January 2026 by Cint, polling 2,078 online US users aged 18–65.