Capable of creating “nearly perfect” face swaps during live video chats, Haotian has made millions, mainly via Telegram. But its main channel vanished after WIRED's inquiry into scammers using the app.

Brandon Kiehm, 45 —  who was convicted in 2017 of swindling Tinder dates by lying about needing money for cancer treatment — is accused of pulling a similar con beginning in 2019, not long after

Brandon Dae Up Kiehm, 45, was charged with one count of second-degree grand larceny in a "romance scam," in which he allegedly stole approximately $272,000 from a woman he met on the dating app, Bumble.

It’s a sad fact, but true — so many of today’s most common scams work by preying on and exploiting trust, and our most human emotions. And that’s even more true when it comes to online dating scams and romance scams, which take advantage of victims ...

The E-ZPass scam texts — or scams involving other similar toll services — have seemingly been the most prevalent scam in 2025. We here at Mashable initially covered the story in January and updated with readers on the scammers' latest tactics and targets in May.