How to spot a
WHAT would you do if someone you were dating asked you for money? While some people may not hesitate before handing over cash to help someone they care about and are romantically involved with, it may be a warning sign of a scam.
One in three romance scams end up with victims losing more than £5,000, according to new research from Barclays. That’s a hefty amount of money!
Of course, the early days of dating are always a bit hit-and-miss, and there’s a degree of good faith involved – but it’s a good idea to be switched on to the possibility that scammers are out there.
Here we look at how these scams often work, the warning signs to look out for, and what you can do to protect yourself...
VICKY SHAW
WHAT IS A ROMANCE SCAM?
THESE scams often start after meeting someone online, perhaps on an internet dating website.
Scammers will build trust with their victim, who believes they are in a relationship with them.
They may use fake online profiles and build up the relationship quickly, but avoid meeting in person.
They are adept at coming up with sob stories before persuading victims to part with their cash – perhaps claiming they need money for medical or family reasons.
Once they have the money, they may then disappear into thin air – leaving their victim heartbroken and dealing with the financial blow.
How much money are victims losing? Barclays found that 37% of romance scams result in losses of more than £5,000. Over half (57%) of cases result in losses of at least £2,000.
WHO’S MOST AT RISK?
BARCLAYS found that 45-64-yearold daters are particularly likely to be vulnerable to this type of scam. Only 45% of people in this age group undertake basic checks to ensure the dating websites they use are reputable.
But it’s not just this age group which may need to take greater care, as more than four-fifths (43%) of daters admit they would trust someone after speaking to them through a dating website for just two weeks – even without meeting them in person.
The research also found 18-24-year-olds are particularly likely to say they would lend someone they were speaking to on a dating app a large amount of money to help with a ‘medical emergency’, saying they’d be willing to lend £112.40 on average – compared with 55-64-year-olds, who would lend £18.60 as a typical amount. BARCLAYS has identified tendencies which could put those looking for love particularly at risk – bearing in mind some people are not who they say they are online. These are: ■ Judging someone’s character by their social media profile: 26% of people believe the best way to judge whether someone is trustworthy is their social media profile, compared with 13% who are most influenced by past marital status. ■ Judging someone’s character by their job: 21% of people would judge someone based on what kind of job they claim to have, with doctors or teachers seen as most trustworthy. ■ Throwing caution to the wind when meeting someone for the first time. One in 10 people do not carry out any basic checks before meeting