Guard Your Heart: A GASA Valentine’s Special on Romance Scams

Date of Event: 20 February 2026 Event: GASA Meet-Up

Romance scams are one of the most emotionally destructive forms of fraud, causing not only financial loss but long-term psychological harm. In Guard Your Heart, GASA Asia-Pacific convened experts to examine how romance scams operate, why their impact extends beyond money, and what coordinated action is required to prevent and disrupt them.

Hosted by the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA) Asia-Pacific, the session focused on practical disruption, responsible platform safeguards, and trauma-informed recovery. The discussion reinforced that romance scams sit at the intersection of technology, finance, platforms, and mental health, requiring cross-sector collaboration rather than isolated responses.

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Speakers

• Adinova Fauri, Researcher – Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Indonesia

• Jayde Richmond, General Manager – National Anti-Scam Centre, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission

• Dr Kate Gould, Clinical Neuropsychologist & Senior Research Fellow – Monash University

• Kenna Seagrist, Sr. Manager, Trust & Safety Operations – Match Group

• Brian Hanley, Director, Asia Pacific – Global Anti-Scam Alliance (Moderator)

Speakers outlined how romance scams typically begin on dating or social platforms before quickly moving to private messaging channels. Scammers escalate emotional intensity, build dependency, and eventually request funds under the guise of emergencies, travel expenses, or investment opportunities. Increasingly, criminal networks are deploying AI-generated identities and sophisticated payment channels, including cryptocurrency, to enhance credibility and scale operations.

The discussion highlighted that vulnerability is not confined to one demographic group. Younger dating app users, older individuals, and highly educated professionals are all targeted. From an operational standpoint, Australia’s Romance Scam Fusion Cell demonstrated how banks, cryptocurrency exchanges, law enforcement, and platforms can share de-identified risk signals to interrupt financial flows and disrupt scam networks.

Speakers also emphasised the importance of stigma reduction, frontline response guidance, and trauma-informed care to support victims who often experience shame, isolation, and long-term psychological harm.

The meet-up concluded with a clear call for stronger public–private partnerships, responsible AI deployment, cross-border cooperation, and victim-centred recovery frameworks to address the growing complexity of romance scams.

Watch the full discussion below to learn how Asia-Pacific leaders are strengthening their defences against romance scams.

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