When online affection becomes manipulation: A cybersecurity expert explains romance scams

What if the person you think is falling in love with you is actually building a case against you?

Romance scams are no longer just about fake profiles and stolen photographs. Criminals are now using Artificial Intelligence (AI), deepfakes, cloned voices, and carefully crafted stories to create fake identities and manipulate people emotionally before taking their money.

The recent extradition of six Nigerian nationals from South Africa to the United States, who are accused of defrauding more than 100 women through alleged online romance scams, has once again exposed how sophisticated these operations can be.

But how do you know when online affection becomes manipulation and what warning signs should set off alarm bells?

To help us understand how these scams work and how the public can protect themselves, we are joined by cybersecurity engineer Allan Juma.

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