How to spot – and avoid – romance scams
With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, some people will be hoping to find the perfect partner, perhaps by signing up to dating websites or starting conversations on social media.
While many end up happily coupled-up, others could fall prey to the tactics of scammers – who gain victims’ trust before manipulating them into handing over money.
Jim Winters, director of economic crime at Nationwide Building Society (nationwide.co.uk), says a typical romance scammer “triggers an emotional response that causes you to forget all the good advice you’ve had”.
Scammers may spend weeks or even months building up someone’s trust, and may then ask for several payments over a period of time.
While some romance scammers will invent “sob stories” for needing money urgently, such as them or someone they care for being unwell, others may pretend to be doing charitable work in their community.
“They use these worthy causes as a mask, or something that might sound like it could generate wealth for both of you in the future,” Jim explains.
“Sometimes, the scam can be presented as an investment opportunity. It might be a business that the scammer is involved with, or purports to be involved with.”
Romance scammers may also say they live overseas, which gives them an excuse for being unable to meet in person, and may make it harder to check out any of their claims.
Jim says: “Often, romance scams are slow-burners. Like investment scams, they can go on over a long period of time, months sometimes.
“Other types of scam are ‘quick turnaround’ – you find out pretty quickly that you’ve been scammed.”
Carrying out a reverse image search online of any photos that have been sent, may help to give clues about whether someone really is who they claim to be. There may also be warning signs that loved ones are potentially being targeted.
Red flags could include the person your friend or relative is talking to professing love after a short period of time. Your loved one may become withdrawn, or suddenly need money, perhaps by dipping into savings, their pension, or getting into debt.
Jim points out that some people may naturally want to keep the fact they are looking for a new relationship quiet – “so they might not be as open as they would normally be”.
But, he says, alarm bells should ring if the person their loved one is talking to online starts asking for money.
If someone has already sent money and they are concerned, Jim says they should immediately tell their bank or building society. Scams should also be reported to the police.
Getting a second opinion can be a great way to sense check whether something sounds plausible.
Nationwide has a ‘scam checker’ service, which enables members to check an electronic payment they are worried about, either in branch or by phone. ■ By VICKY SHAW