Cyber con artists cash in on growing use of online matchmaking

Cyber con artists targeting dating websites are defrauding Britons of at least £34 million a year by exploiting growing use of online matchmaking to extract money under a pretence of romance.

The number of cases of socalled romance fraud across the UK rose by more than a fifth last year to more than 3,100 with victims losing on average £11,000.

The total amount stolen from this particularly cruel form of fraud rose by a third last year to £34.4m, making it a lucrative area for online fraudsters as increasing numbers turn to the internet to find love.

Action Fraud, the UK’S national cyber crime reporting centre, said the number of cases of dating fraud rose from 2,561 in the financial year to March 2016 to 3,127 to April 2017.

As taboos around online dating have fallen away, the industry has grown to global revenues of £2bn a year. It is estimated that a quarter of all new relationships in the UK now start via dating sites.

But police warn that the dramatic growth is attracting cyber criminals who are prepared to spend weeks or months at a time posing as an individual’s dream match, researching their target online to find common interests before winning enough trust to request money in increasing quantities.

The results can be devastating for victims, who range from young professionals leading busy lives to widows and widowers looking for a new companion, as the financial cost is exacerbated by the emotional burden of discovering that a potential life partner is in reality a patient and callous con artist.

Detective Chief Inspector Andrew Fyfe, head of crime at the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau, said: “People who are taken in by romance fraud are usually the most vulnerable and badly affected victims of fraud.

“Many of these people are lonely and desperate for romance and companionship, only to find themselves completely fleeced. Some of them are strung along and wooed for a year or more by someone who is effectively grooming them.”

According to Action Fraud figures, the average age of dating fraud victims is 49 and the

DCI ANDREW FYFE gender breakdown of reported cases is 61 per cent female against 39 per cent male. Police believe men are just as likely as women to fall victim but are more reluctant to approach the authorities because of a stigma of feeling fooled or conned.

The con artists can work alone or increasingly as part of a wider network, targeting multiple individuals from abroad while using contacts in Britain to stage face-to-face meetings and others to provide bank accounts to receive funds which are then transferred out of the country. The average amount of time between an online meeting and the first request for money is 30 days.

While the fraudsters often first meet their target on an online dating site, they will normally quickly seek to take communications to a more direct and personal forum, according to investigators.

The Online Dating Association said it works closely with police and provides information on the warning signs of potential fraudsters. l Reporting team: Cahal Milmo, Aasma Day, Don Mort, Chris Burn, Ruby Kitchen, Paul Lynch, Oli Poole, Gavin Ledwith, Ben Fishwick, Philip Bradfield and Deborah Punshon

“Many of these people are lonely and desperate for romance and companionship, only to find themselves completely fleeced”