• Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson announced a romance scam hotline, 1-855-961-SCAM, on 23 July 2026.
  • The FBI's IC3 lists $584M in 2025 romance losses among complainants aged 60 and over.
  • An Ohio woman in her 70s told WTVG 13abc on 13 November that she lost $10,000 in the past year.
  • Callers can pass a suspected scammer's name and photo to Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation forensic investigators.

Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson's office runs a state hotline for romance scam victims and their families, and it is citing FBI figures showing Americans aged 60 and over lost $584 million to romance scams in 2025. The hotline, 1-855-961-SCAM, is not new: Wilson's office announced it on 23 July 2026, and it was first previewed on 29 June. It resurfaced on 13 November through a WTVG 13abc (Toledo) victim feature.

The dating angle is indirect. No dating app is named in the sources; the 13abc victim says her contact began on social media. But operators should care because state enforcers are building their own intake channels for the fraud their platforms are accused of enabling.

The DII Take

A state-run hotline that routes suspect names and photos to forensic investigators is more useful than another awareness leaflet. It also creates a stream of evidence that sits outside platform reporting tools. Trust and safety teams should assume that more of that evidence will eventually arrive at their door via law enforcement requests. DII has also covered Hassan's backing of the ReportScams.gov Act for a single federal portal, which points the same way.

How the Ohio hotline works

According to the AG's release, information from callers is passed to the office's Constituent Services Section, which works with specialists elsewhere in the office. Forensic investigators at the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation then check it for signs of fraud. Victims or their families get educational material and guidance from the Consumer Protection Section, and where a crime may have been committed the case can be passed to local police.

WHIO reported that callers can share a name, photo and other details about a suspected scammer. Wilson said: 'Our goal is to help families intervene sooner and prevent their loved ones from becoming victims.' WYSU reported that the nonprofit Advocating Against Romance Scammers says it is the only state-sponsored hotline of its kind.

What the numbers show

The FBI's IC3 elder fraud brochure lists romance fraud at $584 million in 2025 losses among complainants aged 60 and over, third among crime types.

The FBI's IC3 elder fraud brochure lists romance fraud at $584 million in 2025 losses among complainants aged 60 and over, third among crime types.

Investment fraud was $3.5 billion in the same group. 13abc reported that the AG's office describes the $584 million as a 50% rise on the prior year; DII could not confirm that growth rate in an FBI document. The office also says real losses are likely higher because many victims do not report.

The victim, who was not named, told 13abc: 'I have lost $10,000 in the past year... And I am two months late on my rent'. She has filed a police report.

What to watch

Ohio has not published hotline call volumes or referral counts, according to the sources DII reviewed. Those figures, and whether other states copy the model, will show whether this is a template or a one-off.

  • Ohio's Attorney General has put forensic investigators behind a romance scam hotline, giving victims a route that bypasses platform reporting tools.
  • The $584M figure is FBI-confirmed for Americans aged 60+; the 50% annual rise is the AG's office's claim, relayed by 13abc.
  • Watch for published call and referral data, and for any state copying the model.

Sources: AG Wilson Launches Initiative to Protect Ohio Residents From Romance Scams, Similar Impostor Schemes (Ohio Attorney General's Office); IC3 Elder Fraud brochure with 2025 data (FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center); AG Wilson Announces Plan to Bolster Ohio's Fight Against Romance Scams Targeting Older Adults (Ohio Attorney General's Office); Romance scam victim warns others to be aware (WTVG 13abc); How a new hotline could help Ohioans avoid heartbreak (WYSU); Ohio AG launches hotline to fight romance scams (WHIO)