Valentine’s Day often calls for romantic nights out, thoughtful gifts, weekend getaways, and more swiping for those looking for love. Unfortunately, it also creates opportunities for scammers. To find out where Americans are most and least likely to get scammed this Valentine’s Day, PasswordManager.com analyzed data from the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Sentinel Network.
This report assesses four scam categories that line up with how people typically spend and connect around Valentine’s Day: romance scams, travel scams, online shopping scams, and business imposter scams. Romance scams can be especially relevant around Valentine’s Day, when singles may be more motivated to look for love on dating apps. Travel scams and online shopping scams also come into play as couples plan weekend getaways or buy gifts. Similarly, business imposter scams are an important factor as people make reservations, buy tickets, and book experiences to celebrate.
Read on to find out where Americans are most at risk of being scammed this Valentine’s Day.
Riskest States To Celebrate Valentine’s Day in 2026
These states report the highest combined levels of romance, travel, online shopping, and business imposter scams.
1. Nevada
Nevada is heavily exposed to business imposter scams and travel-related fraud. For Valentine’s Day, those impersonation attempts can show up around “Valentine’s Specials,” dinner reservations, and show tickets, where a fake confirmation or “customer support” message can redirect payments or steal personal details.
Romance scams: 172 reports per million population, total loss $12,870,005
Travel scams: 120 reports per million population, total loss $728,210
Online shopping scams: 885 reports per million population, total loss $1,789,418
Business imposter scams: 1,228 reports per million population, total loss $5,006,885
2. Arizona
Arizona is heavily exposed to romance scams and travel-related fraud. For Valentine’s Day, scammers can use dating apps and social media to build fast emotional trust, then pivot to money requests tied to gifts, last-minute trips, or fabricated emergencies, often pushing victims to pay through hard-to-recover methods.
Romance scams: 279 reports per million population, total loss $55,813,516
Travel scams: 93 reports per million population, total loss $1,228,342
Online shopping scams: 788 reports per million population, total loss $1,104,556
Business imposter scams: 1,034 reports per million population, total loss $5,548,135
3. Florida
Florida’s risk is driven by a heavy mix of travel-related fraud and high romance-scam losses. For Valentine’s Day, scammers can exploit getaway planning with fake rentals and bogus “deal” offers, while romance scammers use the holiday to escalate trust and pressure victims into sending money.
Romance scams: 142 reports per million population, total loss $87,955,332
Travel scams: 131 reports per million population, total loss $8,255,332
Online shopping scams: 857 reports per million population, total loss $2,428,736
Business imposter scams: 998 reports per million population, total loss $7,548,135
4. Oregon
Oregon residents are heavily targeted by both romance and business impersonation schemes. The high volume of business imposter scams suggests that scammers are effectively mimicking local services. For Valentine’s Day those targets could look like florists or high-end restaurants to intercept Valentine’s payments.
Romance scams: 168 reports per million population, total loss $18,450,220
Business imposter scams: 945 reports per million population, total loss $4,200,150
Online shopping scams: 742 reports per million population, total loss $950,400
Travel scams: 82 reports per million population, total loss $510,300
5. Alaska
Alaska enters the high-risk list largely due to its vulnerability to romance scams. The state’s unique geography can sometimes lead to a greater reliance on digital connection, which scammers exploit through long-term emotional manipulation.
Romance scams: 221 reports per million population, total loss $5,120,450
Business imposter scams: 810 reports per million population, total loss $1,250,600
Online shopping scams: 895 reports per million population, total loss $740,200
Travel scams: 52 reports per million population, total loss $210,150
“People can spot romance, travel, and gift scams by paying attention to common red flags,” says PasswordManager.com’s cybersecurity expert, Gunnar Kallstrom. “Scammers often create a false sense of urgency, whether it’s a ‘last-chance’ dinner reservation or a match who claims to need emergency funds. Anything that pressures you to act fast should make you pause.”
Safest States To Celebrate Valentine’s Day
These states report the lowest combined levels of romance, travel, online shopping, and business imposter scams.
50. Louisiana
Although Louisiana is a major tourism destination, its peak travel season typically falls outside the Valentine’s window. As a result, the state experiences less holiday-specific travel activity that scammers target. Louisiana also ranks at the very bottom for online shopping and travel fraud.
49. Mississippi
Mississippi exhibits the lowest exposure to romance-related scams in the country. The state’s smaller online retail footprint reduces the volume of e-commerce fraud that typically spikes during the gift-giving season. Overall risk remains minimal, making it the safest state to celebrate.
48. North Dakota
North Dakota posts low scam levels across every category, placing it firmly among the safest states for romantic consumers.
47. Michigan
Michigan ranks among the safest states due to its notably low per-capita fraud in high-weight categories. The state reports significantly fewer romance and travel scams than the national average.
46. South Dakota
Despite its higher rank in travel scams relative to other categories, it ranks low overall in business imposter and romance scams.
Romance scams: 115 reports per million population, total loss $6,400,000
Travel scams: 58 reports per million population, total loss $128,342
Online shopping scams: 545 reports per million population, total loss $1,104,556
Business imposter scams: 598 reports per million population, total loss $2,106,885
Riskiest States To Celebrate Valentine’s Day By Category
Below are the top five states with the highest per-capita scam rates across the four main categories Password Manager assessed, highlighting where specific types of fraud are most concentrated.
Romance Scams
Romance scams involve fraudsters building online relationships to manipulate victims into sending money, sharing financial details, or funding fabricated emergencies. These scams often start through dating apps, social media, or messaging platforms and can continue for weeks or months before money is requested.
Arizona: Arizona has a huge retiree and “snowbird” population and a lot of people relocating or dating later in life, which can create a larger pool of targets for long-con romance scams that rely on ongoing communication and repeated payments.
Alaska: Alaska’s extreme geography and dispersed communities mean more relationship-building happens at a distance, which makes it easier for scammers to operate without being pressured into meeting, verifying identity, or maintaining a consistent real-world story.
Wyoming: Wyoming’s small, tight-knit communities can push people to look for relationships outside their immediate social circles, which increases reliance on dating apps and messaging with strangers. That anonymity makes it easier for scammers to build trust without real-world accountability and keep a long-con going until they can escalate to repeated money requests.
Nevada: Nevada’s constant influx of visitors and its entertainment-driven, high-anonymity environment makes it easier for scammers to create believable stories around financial emergencies, all without the social accountability that exists in tighter local networks.
Nebraska: Nebraska’s smaller dating pools outside its main cities can push more relationship-building onto dating apps, where scammers can operate without social verification and maintain long-con romance schemes.
Business Imposter Scams
Business imposter scams happen when criminals pose as legitimate companies or customer support using spoofed phone numbers, phishing emails, fake order alerts, and fraudulent refund or billing messages to trick consumers into paying or sharing sensitive info.
Nevada: Nevada’s economy runs on constant transactions tied to hospitality, entertainment, and travel. Around Valentine’s Day, scammers can impersonate hotels, restaurants, and ticketing services connected to dinner reservations, show bookings, or special packages, using fake confirmations or “payment issue” messages to intercept money.
Colorado: Colorado’s high business-imposter rate fits a state where a lot of Valentine’s spending happens through experiences (dinner, events, weekend trips, resort-style bookings) rather than just retail gifts. That creates more targets for impersonation because scammers can masquerade as venues, ticket sellers, or booking partners tied to reservations, deposits, and last-minute “changes” that prompt people to pay again.
New Hampshire: New Hampshire’s high per-capita ranking likely reflects how easily impersonation works in a state where consumers rely heavily on regional services and smaller providers for deliveries, utilities, and local commerce. Around Valentine’s Day, scammers can spoof local-looking businesses (or “support” for them) tied to gift orders and deliveries, where a quick “problem with your order” message feels plausible.
Washington: Washington’s business-imposter exposure is consistent with high reliance on online ordering and delivery services. Around Valentine’s Day, impersonation attempts often mimic retailers or carriers connected to gift shipments, using fake tracking updates or support messages to pull people into fraudulent links.
Oregon: Oregon’s high business-imposter exposure lines up with heavy spending at independent retailers, local services, and smaller online brands, especially around holidays. For Valentine’s Day, scammers can impersonate florists, gift shops, or merchant “support” tied to orders and deliveries, using fake confirmation or problem notices to redirect payments or steal account details.
Online Shopping Scams
Online shopping scams include fake storefronts, undelivered goods, counterfeit listings, fraudulent third-party sellers, and deceptive payment schemes, often promoted through social media ads or lookalike websites.
Delaware: Delaware’s No. 1 ranking aligns with high exposure to third-party marketplaces and social-media-driven shopping, where buyers are often dealing with unfamiliar sellers. Around Valentine’s Day, scammers push fake gift listings and lookalike storefronts that disappear after payment.
Nevada: Nevada’s strong online purchasing volume, combined with its tourism-heavy economy, increases exposure to scam listings, fake retailers, and Valentine’s “deal” offers that vanish after payment.
New Hampshire: New Hampshire’s top ranking reflects how digitally connected the state is, which increases exposure to online purchases and scam storefronts.
Colorado: Colorado’s high ranking reflects frequent use of online shopping platforms where products are discovered through ads and third-party sellers. Around Valentine’s Day, that creates more opportunities for fraudulent gift listings and fake brand storefronts.
Florida: Florida’s scale matters: high population plus heavy online buying increases the raw number of opportunities for scam transactions, especially through social media sellers and fake shipping or order-confirmation pages.
Travel Scams
Travel scams include fraudulent booking confirmations, fake travel agencies, deceptive vacation deals, bogus customer-service numbers, and scam rental listings that target people booking trips or trying to resolve travel issues.
Florida: Florida is a go-to Valentine’s getaway destination, which means a lot of couples are booking short-notice trips, rentals, and “romantic package” deals. That creates more openings for fake vacation offers, fraudulent rental listings, and spoofed booking support that targets travelers trying to confirm or change plans.
Nevada: Nevada’s Las Vegas travel market is built around Valentine’s weekend spending, including hotel stays, shows, and prix fixe dinners sold as packages. Scammers can exploit that by impersonating booking platforms or venues, sending bogus confirmations or “reservation problem” messages that push travelers to pay again or call fake support numbers.
New Hampshire: New Hampshire’s winter lodging market overlaps with Valentine’s weekend travel, when couples book cabins, inns, and last-minute stays. When availability feels tight, travelers are more likely to book quickly or through third-party listings, which increases the risk of scam rentals, fake confirmations, and “deposit required” schemes.
Maryland: Maryland’s travel-scam exposure makes sense because the state sits next to a major Valentine’s weekend hub (the DC area), where couples book last-minute hotels, dinner-and-show plans, and weekend stays. That kind of short-fuse booking creates openings for scam rental listings, fake “reservation confirmed” pages, and bogus customer-service numbers that catch people when they’re trying to lock plans in fast.
Connecticut: Connecticut’s Valentine’s travel risk maps to the kind of nearby getaway trips that are common in the region, including casino-resort weekends. That creates openings for deceptive “deal” listings, fake rental posts, and bogus confirmation pages, especially when people book through third-party sites to lock something in fast.
Kallstrom notes, “The common thread across these scams is urgency. Fraudsters push people to act quickly, move conversations off legitimate platforms, or pay in hard-to-recover methods like gift cards, wire transfers, or crypto. When something feels rushed or unusually emotional, that is usually the moment to slow down.”
Methodology
The data for this report was sourced from the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Sentinel Network. Four scam categories that are relevant to romance-scam-driven fraud risk were examined.
Romance scams: Fraudsters posing as romantic partners online to build trust and solicit money, often through fabricated emergencies, travel plans, or financial hardship.
Business imposter scams: Scammers impersonating legitimate companies through spoofed phone numbers, phishing emails, or fake customer-service contacts.
For each state, we calculated reports per million residents in all four categories. Each state was then ranked from 1 to 50, where 1 indicates the highest scam rate and 50 indicates the lowest.
Overall scam-risk scores were calculated using a weighted formula in which romance scams accounted for 50% of the score, business imposter scams for 25%, online shopping scams for 15%, and travel scams for 10%.
