What’s behind the rise of romance scams?
Thousands of hopeful singles suffer online fraud every year, but as lockdown has left some feeling lonelier than ever, figures are set to rise...
HE CRIPPLED MY FINANCES, BUT IT WAS EVEN HARDER TO MEND MY BROKEN HEART
As restrictions put into place during the coronavirus pandemic continue, charities have warned people of the rise in “romance scams” – when someone pretends to be someone they’re not in order to con their victims out of money.
Lockdown has been especially hard on single people. In a recent poll, almost half of singles said they were hoping to meet a partner during the pandemic – but the number of people that fell victim to scams this May was 517, compared to 466 the same time last year. And reports increased by a staggering 86 per cent from May to June.
FRAUDSTERS
Wayne Stevens, head of community practice on fraud at charity Victim Support, tells Closer, “Unfortunately, we know that circumstances caused by coronavirus are being used by fraudsters as a ‘hook’ to extort money. Some have invented lies about needing medical treatment, urgent travel expenses to leave a country, or funds to keep afloat after a bogus job loss caused by COVID-19.
“They use these stories to prey on people’s kindness during the pandemic.”
And Closer’s psychological therapist Emma Kenny says people will be more at risk after the isolation period.
She says, “During lockdown, we’ve been cut off from our friends and family, causing us to feel lonely and vulnerable. Because of this, people have turned to online dating to replace these close bonds.
“Falling in love in this fragile context means we’re more exposed – we’re less likely to have our guards up and be able to spot red flags.
“For many people, lockdown has also brought out a softer side. We’ve clapped for carers and seen communities come together. But this also means that when scammers offer up a sob story as a reason to need money – especially when linked to the pandemic – we may be more likely to fall for it.”
One person who knows the pain of becoming a victim to romance fraud is Di Pogson, who fell in love with a fraudster posing as a businessman, calling himself Kevin.
Di, 58, from Yorkshire, began online dating in 2016, two years after her husband died.
She recalls, “I liked Kevin as he was charming and friendly. Like me, he said he had kids, and that he was grieving for his wife who had died in a car accident.
LOAN
“He was working abroad in China so we couldn’t meet in person and he said poor internet connection over there meant we couldn’t video call. But we’d text all day every day.
“He’d send photos of him and his daughter – I thought he was handsome.”
Two weeks later, Kevin asked Di for a £450 loan. She says, “He said his dog needed urgent veterinary care or he’d be put down. I felt devastated for him, so I loaned him the money. His reasons seemed legitimate and he insisted he’d pay me back.
“Over the next few months, I could feel myself falling for him. He was funny and kind and seemed to really care about me, always asking how I was and about my day. We talked about settling down together. I thought we had a long-term future. So when he asked for money again two weeks later – this time for business expenses – I didn’t think twice. He said his money was tied up in investments in the UK and that he couldn’t access it until he was back in the country as there forms he needed to sign. He’d continue to ask for money every few days – each time around the £1,000 mark, which I took out loans for – but I was happy to help, sure he’d pay me back. I was blinded by my feelings. None of my friends or family knew what I was doing.”
Then, in December
2016, Kevin asked Di to pay for his plane tickets home from China back to London for Christmas.
Di explains, “Kevin told me his daughter would spend Christmas alone if I couldn’t help him. I felt
I had no choice, but I was happy to help, convinced he would pay me back.”
TRUSTING
Di lent Kevin another £1,000, trusting they’d meet at a
London hotel, where Kevin would write her a cheque to repay all the loans. But when Di arrived, Kevin was nowhere to be seen.
Di says, “I was livid, but
Kevin phoned me that evening, apologising profusely. He said his flight home was delayed, but when I asked to meet again, he blamed his busy work schedule. I wanted to believe he was honest, but when he asked for money a week later, it’s like I saw clearly for the first time. I knew he was scamming me. When I refused, his charming persona dropped. He became rude and cut off all contact.
That’s when I called the police.”
Shockingly, Di had been conned out of a total of £40,000 by Kevin during their threemonth relationship. She was left financially ruined and was forced to release equity from her mortgage to pay off her debts. Di says, “He crippled my finances, but it was even harder to mend my broken heart.”
After two years, police discovered that “Kevin” was in fact a gang of five men and a woman from London, who had conned multiple victims.
CONSPIRACY
In court, the gang leaders were found guilty of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation, money laundering, and converting criminal property, as well as supplying articles to be used in fraud.
But while Di was relieved to get justice, she never got her money back, since it had been squandered and the criminals had no way of paying it back.
Di says, “I felt so stupid for not realising sooner. People may think it would never happen to them, but until you’ve been in this situation, you don’t know. Anyone can fall victim to a romance scam.”
Incredibly, the scam didn’t deter Di from looking for love again. In 2018, she met Dave* online, and the pair married last year. Di says, “I understand how tempting it could be to ignore red flags in pursuit of love, but I want to warn others – anyone can fall victim to a romance scam. Don’t fall for empty promises, like I did.”