Romance fraud: Almost 200 people in Nottinghamshire conned out of £1.3 million in dating scams last year

Victims of romance fraud in the UK lost a combined £88 million to criminals last year – an average of £11,000 per victim.

In Nottinghamshire alone, there were 199 cases of dating scams reported to the police with victims being swindled out of £1.3 million as a result

Temporary Detective Chief Superintendent Matt Bradford, from the City of London Police, which helps run Action Fraud, said: “Typically, romance fraudsters will spend weeks gaining their victims’ trust by feeding them fabricated stories so the victim may believe their new love interest is genuine.

“But weeks, or sometimes months later, these criminals will ask for money for a variety of emotive reasons and as the emotional relationship has already been formed, victims often transfer money without a second thought.”

Three high street financial institutions – Lloyds, Nationwide Building Society and TSB – have now all issued separate warnings and advice on what they call ‘romance fraud’ in the run-up to Valentine’s Day.

Liz Ziegler, fraud prevention director at Lloyds, said: “The convincing lies told by fraudsters mean that while victims think they are falling in love, they’re actually falling for a scam."

The figures behind dating scams

Figures published by Action Fraud show men and women are both targeted by scammers fairly equally 51 per cent were male and 49 per cent female.

Men in their 20s were most likely to fall victim to the romance scams, followed by women in their 50s.

How a typical dating scam works

Scammers will usually target victims on social media platforms, particularly Facebook, or dating apps such as Tinder.

They might then try to move the conversation onto another private messaging platform, like WhatsApp.

Typically they will come across as very caring and attentive, messaging back and forth – sometimes over a period of months – to build trust and give the impression that the relationship is genuine.

Often they will claim to be living or working abroad to explain why they can’t meet in person.

They might also invent reasons why they can’t turn their camera on during calls.

Eventually they will start to tell stories about family or legal issues, business problems or medical bills.

They might appear reluctant to accept any help at first, or request smaller amounts, but this is all part of the con.

Over time, they convince their victim to send more and more money.

How to protect yourself from dating scammers

Action Fraud advises people using online dating services to:

Be suspicious of any requests for money from someone you have never met in person, particularly if you have only recently met online.

Speak to your family or friends to get advice.

Perform a reverse image search on profile photos – this can find images that have been taken from somewhere else.

They also advise that you do not:

Send money to someone you have never met in person, allow them access to your bank account or take out a loan for them.

Invest your own money on their advice.

Give them copies of your personal documents, such as passports.

Purchase and send the codes on gift cards from Amazon or iTunes.

Receive or send parcels on their behalf, such as laptops or mobile phones.

Signs that someone else might be falling for a romance scam

They may be secretive about their relationship or provide excuses for why their online partner has not spoken to them on a video call or met them face-to-face.

They could become hostile or withdraw from the conversation when you ask questions about their partner

They may express very strong emotions and commitment to someone they have only just met

They have sent, or are planning to send, money to someone they have not met in person.

They may take out loans or withdraw from their pension to send money.

How to report a romance scam

If you think you’ve been a victim of fraud, contact your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud online at actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 1232040.