Online dating fraud

The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB), run by the City of London Police, received 8,792 reports of romance fraud across the UK, amounting to losses of over £94.7 million. The average loss per person was £10,774. Reporting is now at some of the highest levels to date, with an 8.4 per cent increase on the previous yearly figures.

Romance fraud is when people are defrauded into sending money to criminals who go to great lengths to gain their trust and convince them that they are in a genuine relationship. It remains a high-risk fraud, impacting those targeted financially, emotionally, and psychologically.

For almost a third of those targeted, fraudsters spent more than a year using various tactics to build trust and companionship. This long-term form of coercion is then used to engineer scenarios that pressure victims into handing over money. This could include paying for travel, convincing the victim to pay for an item such as a mobile phone, and, in some cases, taking out loans or making investments on their behalf.

Of the reports made 45 per cent of approaches were via online dating sites, 41 per cent were made by social media and 12 per cent via communications platforms. Increasingly criminals approach targets on social media and communications platforms rather than dating sites, as such approaches are less expected.

Contrary to common misconceptions, there is a fairly equal split between male and female victims (42 per cent and 58 per cent respectively) and all age groups are affected. Reports are most common from men aged 50–79 and women aged 30-79.

Stay safe from romance fraudsters:

• If you have met someone via a dating app, stay within the messaging function of the application. Don’t feel pressured to hand over your mobile number and move the conversation over to SMS or a messaging platform like Whatsapp or Telegram.
• Be suspicious of any requests for money from someone you have never met in person.
• Be cautious about how much personal information you are sharing online and who you are sharing information with.
• Speak to your family or friends to get advice and perspective. Fraudsters will subtly isolate you for their own purposes.
• Profile photos may not be genuine. Performing a reverse image search can find photos that have been taken from somewhere, or someone, else.

It is important that no matter how long you’ve been speaking to someone online and how much you think you trust them, if you have not met them in person, it’s important that you do not:

• send them any money, even in the form of gift cards;
• allow them access to your bank account;
• transfer money on their behalf;
• take a loan out for them;
• provide copies of your personal documents, such as passports or driving licenses;
• invest your own money on their behalf or on their advice;
• purchase and send the codes on gift cards; or
• agree to receive and/or send parcels on their behalf (laptops, mobile phones etc.).

Romance fraud is one of the top five most commonly reported frauds to Action Fraud. If you believe you’ve been a victim of fraud, report online at www.actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040.

If you have lost any money, it is important you also immediately report it to your bank by calling the number on the back of your bank card.