Senators-to-Match-Group-The-New-Standard-for-Romance-Scam-Safety.pdf

Romance scams have professionalized. Off-platform “investment club” nudges, verification-fee traps, and “mentor” personas now appear in multi-step scripts

1. Senators to Match Group: The
New Standard for Romance
Scam Safety
U.S. Senators demand evidence-based fraud prevention from dating platforms as
regulatory scrutiny intensifies across the industry.

2. The Regulatory Spotlight Intensifies
U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan and Marsha Blackburn sent a detailed letter to Match
Group demanding evidence that its apps Tinder, Hinge, and OkCupid actively
prevent romance and investment scams. The senators set an October 15 response
deadline, signaling that vague commitments are no longer acceptable.
This marks a pivotal shift in regulatory expectations. Lawmakers are no longer asking
platforms to simply "do better." They want proof of pre-visibility prevention
systems, measurable outcomes, and transparent metrics that demonstrate real-
world impact. The message is clear: platforms must show their work or face
escalating scrutiny.
Key Demand
Prove pre-visibility prevention and publish
metrics4no more generic promises.

3. The $12.5 Billion Problem
$12.5B
Total U.S. Fraud Losses
Reported losses in 2024 according to the
Federal Trade Commission
68%
Romance Scam Growth
Year-over-year increase in reported romance
and investment fraud cases
5.2M
Victims Targeted
Americans contacted by scammers across
dating and messaging platforms
Romance and investment scams continue to evolve across dating and messaging funnels, becoming increasingly sophisticated. These aren't
isolated incidents they represent systematic, professionalized operations that migrate victims from dating platforms to encrypted apps where the
real financial damage occurs. The FBI reports new verification schemes and "investor club" manipulations that start innocently on social and
dating platforms.

4. How Modern Romance Scams Actually Work
Fast Intimacy
Rapid emotional connection building through love-bombing tactics and constant
attention
Platform Migration
Pressure to move conversations to WhatsApp, Telegram, or other encrypted
messaging apps
Trusted Persona
Introduction of "mentor" or "broker" character who shares investment "opportunities"
Escalating Asks
Small "test" payment followed by increasingly larger deposits and withdrawal barriers
Romance scams have professionalized into multi-step scripts that exploit psychological vulnerabilities. Scammers no longer work alone4they operate from organized call centers
with playbooks, stolen photo libraries, and AI-assisted translation tools. The scripts are sophisticated: establish trust, create dependency, manufacture urgency, and maximize
extraction before vanishing.
Language Matters
Several authorities, including Interpol, discourage using the term "pig-butchering." Prefer romance/investment scams to reduce victim stigma and increase reporting
rates. Language shapes whether victims come forward.

5. What Strong Protection Actually Looks Like
Pre-Visibility Screening
Real-time screening of first-contact messages before delivery for
off-app links, wallet/crypto language, payment prompts, and
suspicious domains. Hold risky content, warn the sender, and
educate the recipient in-context.
Visual Intelligence
Scammers recycle selfies and share fake "trading dashboard"
screenshots, QR codes, and short-link images. Use OCR,
watermark/QR detection, and AI-image verification to stop visual
evidence manipulation.
Session-Aware Detection
Link signals across entire conversations: love-bomb ³ off-app push
³ mentor ³ "small test." Don't rely on single-message scoring;
sequence patterns matter more than individual red flags.
Clear Outcomes, Not Raw Scores
Implement decisions users understand Hold / Warn / Block /
Review with evidence available for appeals and audits. Policy-tied
outcomes build trust and provide the regulatory documentation
lawmakers demand.

6. User Experience: Safety Without Friction
Effective fraud prevention doesn't mean degrading the user experience. When implemented correctly, safety measures make users feel
protected, not policed. The key is providing context, education, and control not just blocking content without explanation.
Inline Risk Indicators
Context-aware chips like "off-app link held" or "money-ask risk
detected" educate users without shaming. These micro-
interventions prevent harm while maintaining conversation flow
and user autonomy.
One-Tap Reporting
Reduce friction in the reporting process to increase signal quality.
Users are more likely to report suspicious activity when it takes
seconds, not minutes, providing platforms with better real-time
intelligence.
Contextual Warnings
Messages like "Keep the chat in-app for your safety" appear
exactly when users need them. These just-in-time interventions
prevent off-platform migration without disrupting legitimate
conversations.
Invisible Speed
Sub-200ms moderation decisions keep latency invisible on
modern infrastructure. Target p95 latency of 120-200ms ensures
users never notice the safety checks protecting them.

7. Building the Trust & Safety Team That Delivers
T&S Engineering × Policy
Pairing
Engineers implement technical
guardrails while policy teams set
outcomes, exceptions, and
escalation paths. This partnership
ensures systems align with both
user safety goals and regulatory
requirements.
Weekly Signals Review
Cell
Examine samples of held content,
identify false positives and
misses, and ship rule updates
every sprint. Continuous
improvement requires systematic
review, not quarterly check-ins.
Dedicated Metrics Owner
One person accountable for the
quarterly safety report that
documents what was blocked,
how fast, and what improved.
This role ensures transparency
and regulatory readiness.
LE & Regulatory Liaison
Point of contact for FBI/FTC
referrals, data preservation
requests, and proactive law
enforcement collaboration.
Essential for victim recovery and
ecosystem defense.

8. Metrics That Matter: What to Publish Quarterly
The senators' letter demands measurable outcomes. These KPIs align directly with regulatory expectations for evidence, timelines, and demonstrable impact.
Transparency isn't optional anymore4it's the price of maintaining platform autonomy.
01
First-Contact Hold Rate
Percentage of initial messages held due to off-app links, money/crypto cues, or
policy violations. Baseline metric for pre-visibility enforcement effectiveness.
02
Visual Content Holds
Image/QR/URL hold-rate distinct from text moderation. Demonstrates commitment
to stopping visual evasion tactics like screenshot sharing and QR code manipulation.
03
Pattern Detection Success
Session-pattern catch-rate for multi-message grooming flows. Shows
sophistication beyond single-message keyword matching to detect evolving scam
sequences.
04
User Warning Performance
Warning delivery rates and click-through rates. Measures whether users see and
engage with safety interventions when they matter most.
05
Response Speed
Time-to-action on user reports (p50/p95 latency). Fast response times prevent
escalation and demonstrate operational readiness.
06
Recidivism Prevention
Repeat offender rates after account action and re-signup block effectiveness.
Shows whether enforcement creates lasting deterrence or just temporary
inconvenience.

9. Implementation Challenges and Solutions
False-Positive Anxiety
Teams fear blocking legitimate users. Solution: policy-tied outcomes with appealable,
logged decisions. Don't ship score-only gates4give users context and recourse.
Encrypted Migration
Scammers push conversations off-platform to encrypted apps. Solution: catch the push
at point of origin; throttle risky links in first contacts before trust is established.
Visual Evasion
Scammers embed text in images to bypass keyword filters. Solution: treat images as
first-class signals with OCR, QR detection, watermark checks, and AI-image
verification.
Organizational Alignment
Trust & safety competes with growth metrics for resources. Solution: publish safety
notes externally4create accountability through transparency and user trust as a growth
driver.
The Pre-Visibility Imperative
The standard has shifted: pre-visibility or it didn't happen. Post-delivery
moderation is no longer sufficient to meet regulatory expectations or protect users
effectively.

10. The Future: Prove It or Lose Trust
Government pressure is rising across all platforms. Senators publicly questioned whether algorithmic designs may unintentionally amplify
scammers by fostering misplaced trust, asking Match Group to document safeguards and implementation timelines. Expect more letters,
hearings, and transparency requirements.
Meanwhile, U.S. authorities the FTC, FBI, Treasury, and DOJ are escalating action against romance and investment fraud through public service
announcements, asset seizures, and ecosystem cooperation initiatives. The message to platforms is unmistakable: you are critical upstream
controls in the fraud prevention chain.
Block the First Money Nudge
Pre-visibility enforcement stops scams
before victims engage, not after financial
damage occurs.
Warn in Context
Real-time education at the moment of
risk, with clear explanations users can
understand and act on.
Prove It With Data
Audit-ready logs and published metrics
that demonstrate measurable impact and
continuous improvement.
Platforms that implement robust, measurable, transparent fraud prevention will win user trust and meet this policy moment. Those that don't will
face intensifying regulatory action, public criticism, and erosion of the user confidence that makes their business models viable. The choice is
clear: lead with evidence-based safety or be led by regulation.