HOW TO STOP IT HAPPENING TO YOU

CITY of London Police, which oversees romance fraud nationwide, recorded 3,557 victims of catfishing last year, with an astonishing £41 million given to scammers. Victims are almost twice as likely to be women. Here’s how not to become one of them . . .

1 DO use internet tools and websites like Google Reverse Image Search or TinEye.com to check profile pictures.

2 DON’T trust anyone who tells you not to tell others about them.

3 DO cross-check details with other social media sites such as LinkedIn or Facebook.

4 DON’T be tempted away from the dating site. Software can pick up key phrases in a conversation and shut down a scammer’s profile. So they often suggest other messaging services.

5 DO be wary of early declarations of love. It’s called ‘love bombing’ and is a known tactic. 6 DON’T reveal any financial details and do report any requests for money immediately to the dating website. 7 DO be wary of profile pictures showing a man in a military uniform. It’s the commonest trope of catfishing. 8 DON’T carry on communicating if it doesn’t ‘feel right’.