LOVE SCAM WARNING
VALENTINE’S Day is coming up, but beware. Victims of “romance fraud” reported losing more than £50m in total last year, according to Action Fraud, the UK’s national fraud reporting service. Romance fraud happens when people are tricked into thinking they have met the perfect partner on a dating website, app or through social media, only to be scammed out of money after criminals have gained their trust. As Valentine’s Day approaches on February 14, Action Fraud said the average loss per victim in 2018 was £11,145 – a 27% increase on the previous year. In 2018, £50,766,602 was reported as lost to this scam, with 4,555 reports of romance fraud made to Action Fraud. The report showed the average age of a victim was 50, and 63% were female. Women lose twice as much on average as male victims. With some people feeling too embarrassed to report fraud, the true scale of romance scams could be much bigger.
Action Fraud is working with the Date Safe working group to raise awareness of the risks of romance fraud in the UK.
The group’s members include Action Fraud, City of London Police, Get Safe Online, the Metropolitan Police, Age UK, Victim Support, Scamalytics and the Online Dating Association (ODA).
An awareness campaign is running on social media under the hashtag Fauxmance.
Commander Karen Baxter, head of City of London Police’s economic crime department, said: “Heartless fraudsters are cruelly targeting vulnerable victims and exploiting those looking for love online.
“If you think you have been a victim of romance fraud, please report this to Action Fraud.”
George Kidd, chief executive of the ODA, said: “We ask users to stay alert online just as they would in any other walk of life: use the in-built messaging services and be wary of people who want to get you away from this.
“Be wary of those who shower you with loving messages instantly, but may not want to meet. And no-one you meet online should ever ask you for money.”
Katy Worobec, managing director of economic crime at UK Finance, said: “We are urging customers to be vigilant against romance scams and not let a fraudster fool you this Valentine’s.
“Always be wary of any requests for money from someone you’ve never met in person.”
Diana Fawcett, chief officer at Victim Support, said: “These scams can be extremely sophisticated and victims should not feel ashamed or embarrassed and shouldn’t blame themselves in any way.”
Here are Date Safe’s tips romance scam:
1. Do not rush into an online relationship – get to know the person, note the profile and ask plenty of questions.
2. Analyse their profile and check the person is genuine by putting their name, profile pictures or any repeatedly-used phrases and the term “dating scam” into your search engine.
3. Talk to your friends and family about your dating choices. Be wary of anyone who tells you not to tell others about them.
4. Thwart scammers by never sending money to, or sharing your bank details with, someone you have met online, no matter what reason they give or how long you have been speaking to them
5. Stay on the dating site messenger service until you are confident the person is who they say they are. If you do decide to meet in person, make sure the first meeting is in a public place and let someone else know where you are going to be. to avoid a