He was so special and I gave him every penny I had... but he didn’t even exist – Romance fraud victim yesterday
Online romance fraudsters exposed as victims reveal the awful toll
This US soldier is the unwitting frontman for one of the world’s biggest dating site frauds preying on women looking for love online, we can reveal.
The photograph of the handsome soldier, in full dress uniform, has been doctored and used countless times by crime gangs as they persuade victims from around the globe to send them money.
Estimates suggest dating website fraud costs Scots up to £ 4 million a year and, around the world, bogus online profiles using the American soldier’s photograph are estimated to have raked in up to £ 1m. One Scots victim, a 54- year- old widow, today tells how she lost her £17,000 life savings to the fraudsters after being contacted by a man pretending to be the soldier on an online dating site.
Now battling depression, she said: “I tend to take people at face value. I never thought people could lie and cheat like this. He made me feel special and I gave him all I had. I might have been gullible but I don’t deserve this. No one does.”
The soldier’s photograph has been used on a series of dating sites in Europe and America, often with
other men’s heads superimposed, and is now thought to be deployed by a number of different fraud factories. Following our investigation, politicians and charities have demanded greater online regulation and urged internet firms to do more to root out organised crime gangs preying on vulnerable victims.
Figures obtained by The Sunday Post reveal the number of cases reported to Police Scotland’s fraud unit is likely to double this year, with 24% of victims aged 66 or over.
Detective Sergeant Gary Dalgleish, from Police Scotland’s Economic Crime and Financial Investigation Unit, said: “Online romance scams are happening daily. Most days we will come in and there are a few cases that have come in overnight. We’ve seen cases where people have lost hundreds of thousands of pounds to someone they believe they are in a relationship with.
“The number of cases recorded has increased in recent years, but the ones we hear about are just the tip of the iceberg. Fraud in general terms is massively under-reported and the same is undoubtedly true for romance fraud.
“It may be due to embarrassment or a reluctance to relive what has happened but it is important to realise that those responsible are organised, cunning and clever.”
Police Scotland was told of just 67 victims of suspected romance fraud in Scotland in 2018/ 19, involving £ 251,000. This year’s figure is expected to top 130.
But specialist officers believe that is only a small proportion of cases, with romance fraud costing British victims up to £40 million a year and Scots losing up to £4m.
DS Dalgleish, who has been investigating these types of crimes for the past five years, said women were often targeted via dating websites with fake profiles but also via social media.
He said: “Romance fraud often happens when people meet potential partners on dating websites or accept friend requests from people they don’t know on social media sites like Facebook.
“They lure them into what they feel is a real relationship, then start asking for money. It’s usually small amounts at first, then larger sums.
And before they know it people have parted with substantial sums of money.
“One of our biggest, most recent cases involved contact being made on an online dating site that developed into a physical face- to- face meeting and that’s when the deceit and extortion began.
“It ended up being a four- year campaign of taking control of their wages – but not paying mortgage or bills and keeping the money for themselves.
“They were living in the house, so easily intercepting mail to cover their tracks.
“It resulted in the house being repossessed. The person was convicted of a £ 60,000 fraud but the true figure was probably north of £100,000.
“The impact on the victim is not limited to the loss of money but also the loss of the relationship. In some cases the loss of the relationship was far harder than the loss of money.”
Politicians yesterday demanded urgent action to regulate online sites and impose greater responsibility on operators to identify suspicious behaviour. Critics say tighter vetting and checks on applicants to join dating sites and a greater use of facial recognition and other security technologies could help curb fraudsters.
Julian Knight, a member of the Culture Media and Sport Committee in the last parliament, said: “Sadly these figures are not surprising. Behind every statistic is a wrecked life, so I would join in calling for the dating
websites to ensure they take the strongest action against bogus profiles. Internet platforms have a responsibility to their shareholders and to wider society to ensure checks are made.
“This could be dealt with by responsible management. It does not actually require legislation. These platforms must take responsibility for the content other people publish on their websites.
“The platforms should be considered to be a publisher and therefore they must take reasonable steps to prevent real harm to people’s lives.
“They need to invest in better algorithms that find and stop individuals who are creating these profiles which defraud people.”
Michelle Supple, director of Age Scotland, said: “Unfortunately, anyone can fall for a scam regardless of their age. However, older people can be at greater risk. Someone who lives alone and has limited social contacts may feel isolated, lonely and be more vulnerable, which makes it all the more devastating if their trust is abused by a scammer.
“Dating websites can be a great way to meet someone from the comfort of your own home. But we would urge older people always to be careful and to protect themselves by knowing what to look out for and what to do if they suspect a scam.
“We would also encourage dating sites to implement rigorous safety measures, such as thorough vetting of everyone who signs up.
“It is really important the new Hate Crime Bill, announced in the most recent Programme for Government, includes a new statutory aggravator for crimes committed against people because of their age.”
The rising number of romance fraud is alarming, according to Sandra Harkness of the Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland ( SCOTSS), and makes the case for action.
She said: “We work closely with ‘tech’ firms to ensure they are doing all they can. One of our biggest difficulties is encouraging victims to come forward, particularly when it involves a romance scam, because people are not only embarrassed and don’t want to admit that it’s happened to them, but they are also suffering emotionally and psychologically.
“We want to encourage anyone who has been a victim to come forward. They will never be judged, and sometimes the smallest piece of information can help us stop those who do this in their tracks.
“The people behind these schemes are usually well-practised in how to best target victims at their most vulnerable times, often after losing someone or being widowed. Organised crime may also be involved.”
The woman duped by the fraudsters posing as the American soldier, who we have chosen not to identify, was targeted after joining Match.com but the dating site says it is doing all it can to protect women who register. But, like social media, it can be a hard area to police.
A spokesperson said: “We have a dedicated team who monitor security on the site, through both AI, in the form of machine learning technology, and human checks.
“This includes reviewing photos and profiles of new members and identifying any potentially unusual behaviour. We are constantly reviewing our safety methods and we proactively communicate safe dating advice to our members and within our platform.”
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Behind every statistic is a wrecked life. The dating sites must act