Unlucky-in-love Aussies have forked out more than $23 million to fraudsters running online dating rorts this year, the consumer watchdog says.
The ACCC says internet dating scams accounted for 74 per cent of reports made to it since August, labelling romance cons the "chief culprit" of online frauds.
Other common online scams identified by the ACCC related to jobs and investments (10 per cent), unexpected prizes (10 per cent) and unexpected money (6 per cent).
Most victims of online dating scams started an online relationship which led them to send money overseas, ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said.
Scammers targeted both men and woman, with fraudsters getting more tech savvy in targeting prospective victims.
"Just over one third of these people were contacted by the scammer through social media channels," she said in a statement.
Scammers, many based in West Africa, often used stories about inheritances, gemstone dealings, gold bullion "or other unexplained wealth".
"These excuses and stories are designed to extract the maximum funds and commit the victim both financially and emotionally," Ms Rickard said.
Since August, the ACCC said it has confirmed 50 victims who have each lost about $34,000 each.
The watchdog has also sent 1500 letters to possible scam victims as part of its national Scam Disruption Project.
The crackdown comes after the ACCC in September conducted a snap review of 100 dating websites to check if they carried appropriate warnings about scams.
Cyber safety consultant, Leonie Smith, said scammers were more likely to be active on platforms like Facebook and Tinder than on dedicated dating sites.
"Use some of the more established dating sites if you want to look for love online," Ms Smith, of Cyber Safety Lady, told AAP.
It was also a good idea to confirm that an online profile did not use a photo copied from elsewhere on the internet.
"You can actually download that picture and use Google image search to see if it pops up anyway else, that's a good step," Ms Smith said.
Most importantly, Ms Smith said, never hand over money or bank details to an online date.
"That's when the alarm bells should ring," she said.
"You certainly shouldn't be sending any money to someone you haven't met face to face.
