Dating scams surge by 86% in lockdown

ONLINE dating cons are soaring as fraudsters exploit loneliness in lockdown. Scams rose 86 per cent last month, Barclays research shows.

Action Fraud has had 1,694 complaints involving £16million since March 22. The most vulnerable targets were women aged 50 to 59. Fraudsters win their trust before asking to borrow money, often claiming they need it for medical care or to get them out of trouble.

Laura Suter, personal finance analyst at AJ Bell, said the true scale of fraud was likely to be far higher. ‘People don’t report these scams because they feel foolish and embarrassed once they realise they’ve been duped,’ she said.