AI Romance Scammers Target XRP Las Vegas Attendees with Fake Profiles

Attendees of the XRP Las Vegas conference, billed as the largest XRP event in the world, are being targeted by romance scammers using AI-generated images of attractive women. The fraudsters, posing as event visitors, are attempting to initiate romantic conversations that ultimately lead to crypto scams.

An XRP Ledger validator, Vet_X0, flagged these fake profiles on social media on Friday, May 1, 2026. The profiles feature AI-generated images of women in glamorous cocktail dresses, often positioned in front of the event’s official banner. Their goal is to slide into the direct messages (DMs) of unsuspecting attendees and XRP enthusiasts, hoping to exploit their openness to unusual conversations about cryptocurrency.

The conference, which started on Thursday, May 1, 2026, and concludes today at the Paris Casino in Las Vegas, features high-profile speakers including Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse and XRP Ledger co-creator David Schwartz. Attendees, who have likely spent hundreds of dollars on tickets and additional travel and accommodation expenses, are seen as prime targets for these scams, particularly by so-called "pig butcherers."

These criminals build emotional connections with victims through broad social media platforms like X and Instagram before steering conversations to encrypted messengers. Eventually, they ask for crypto donations or recommend fraudulent crypto investment platforms.

How the Scam Operates

Conferences like XRP Las Vegas provide fertile ground for such scams, as attendees often expect messages from new contacts, including DMs from strangers. The scammers leverage the event’s branding to gain trust, making their fraudulent pitches more convincing.

A recent case in Hong Kong highlights the scale of such operations. Authorities busted a crypto scam syndicate that used fake photos and AI face-swapping on video calls to impersonate attractive women. The syndicate, which included workers coerced under threat of violence, persuaded victims across Taiwan, China, Singapore, and India to send a combined total of approximately $46 million in cryptocurrency.

The fake profiles at XRP Las Vegas follow a similar playbook, with the conference’s trust-building environment replacing the syndicate’s AI face-swapping technology.

FBI Reports Alarming Crypto Fraud Losses

According to the FBI, crypto-related fraud losses totaled nearly $11.4 billion in 2025. Romance scams alone accounted for over $900 million of that figure. The agency also reported that Americans over the age of 60, who are often less technologically sophisticated, lost $7.7 billion to internet crime in 2025—the largest share of any age group.

Ripple’s Repeated Warnings Against Scams

Ripple has issued multiple warnings to its community about fraudulent activities. In April 2026, David Schwartz flagged a fake Brad Garlinghouse Instagram account promoting a fraudulent XRP giveaway. In November 2025, the company warned holders about deepfake livestreams that surged following its Swell conference.

Protos has previously documented cases where XRP influencers promoted fake partnerships, such as a non-existent American Express collaboration.

How to Stay Safe

• Be cautious of unsolicited DMs, especially those from strangers claiming to be at the event.
• Verify the identity of any new contacts by cross-checking their profiles and claims.
• Avoid engaging in conversations that quickly turn to financial requests or crypto investments.
• Report suspicious profiles or messages to the platform and relevant authorities.