‘Lonely hearts’ conned out of £3m in one year
Hundreds ofWest Midlanders targeted by online scammers
CRUEL romance fraudsters plundered almost £3 million from hundreds of love-seekers across the West Midlands over 12 months.
West Midlands Police say 347 victims reported crimes after being duped by online scammers using fake profiles and sob stories.
Officers say crooks received at least £2.8 million from victims between November 2020 and October 2021. It works out at an average of £8,000 per victim.
The force said the most common targets were those in their 20s – where there were 74 victims. There were also 68 victims aged between 40 and 49.
Police want people to be on their guard and are urging family members to help protect relatives from romance fraud, particularly in the lead-up to Valentine’s Day.
Romance fraudsters will typically spend weeks building up trust and an emotional attachment with their target. These manipulative criminals will then use a range of often believable stories to get victims to transfer them money without raising suspicion, police said.
This includes funds to visit their “love interest,” money to pay for emergency medical expenses and pretending to be military personnel or working overseas.
A West Midlands Police spokesman said: “We’re supporting a national two week-long campaign to help online daters and their families spot the signs of romance fraud – led by City of London Police who are the UK lead force for fraud.
“Anyone speaking to somebody they don’t know, or haven’t known for a long period of time, is urged to follow the Take Five To Stop Fraud
advice. This includes taking a moment to stop and think before parting with your money or information.”
Khatija Nichols, from the police’s Economic Crime Unit, said: “While most online daters are genuine, there are unfortunately fraudsters who look to exploit the search for love for financial gain.
“These criminals are manipulative and are prepared to prey on people’s emotions. It’s important to stop and
think and not be seduced by a profile.
“Other advice includes staying on a dating platform which has processes in place to protect users and spend time getting to know the person. Never disclose personal information until ready and never send money to someone you’ve only been in contact with online.”
Police added people should have adequate privacy settings on their social media accounts to ensure strangers don’t have access to their
personal information. ‘‘We reiterate that you should never transfer money to someone that you have never met in person,” said Khatija.
“Encourage people to report to Action Fraud and the police if they have become a victim of romance fraud and not to be embarrassed about doing so.”
If you think you’ve been a victim of fraud, contact your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud at actionfraud.police.uk