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3 ways to... protect from romance fraud

Action Fraud is urging family members of online daters to help protect their relatives from becoming a victim of romance fraud. Here’s how to do it.

Know the facts

According to Action Fraud, romance scams are when people are duped into sending money to criminals who go to great lengths to gain their trust and convince them that they are in a genuine relationship. They use language to manipulate, persuade and exploit so that requests for money do not raise alarm bells. Those who are less tech-savvy may be more at risk, which is why Action Fraud is asking us to look out for older relatives.

2 Steps to take

Action Fraud says that there are a number of steps you can take to help protect people you know who are online dating. Firstly, ensure loved ones have adequate privacy settings on their social media accounts so strangers don’t have access to any of

their personal information. Also, stay in regular contact with friends and family who are online dating to spot any changes in behaviour or things that don’t seem right.

3 Spread the word

You should also make friends and family aware of the signs of romance fraud so that they are conscious of the tactics criminals use

to carry out these scams – you can find out more on this at actionfraud.police.uk. Reiterate that they should never transfer money to someone they have never met in person. Also, if they have become a victim of romance fraud, encourage them to report it to Action Fraud and to the police – and not to be in any way embarrassed about doing so.