What is Romance Fraud?

 

Romance fraud or scams are big business! According to recent figures from Action Fraud, almost £92 million has been stolen from victims this year alone! So what exactly is a romance fraud? According to Crimestoppers it is “when you think you’ve met the perfect partner online, but they are using a fake profile to form a relationship with you”.

 

These scammers build fake profiles on dating websites to try and build relationships with prospective victims, this is commonly known as Catfishing. They don’t just limit themselves to dating websites and have been known to reach out to people on gaming websites and via social media profiles such as Facebook and Instagram to name a few. These catfishers deploy social engineering tactics to try to gain the trust of people they would deem as susceptible to their methods, commonly targeting social media profiles where the owner is listed as divorced or widowed. They can be very convincing and often make the victim believe they are a real person that they are having an online relationship with. Usually they take some weeks or months showering their intended victim with compliments, messages, emails and declarations of love, until they believe they have them hooked.

 

The next stage of romance fraud is when the criminal asks for money. They usually say that they are experiencing an “emergency situation” such as having been injured or needing emergency surgery and they don’t have the funds to cover this and ask the victim for their help. As they have built this online relationship with the scammer, many people do not think twice as they are emotionally invested in this “relationship” and want to help if they can so they send the money. In most cases, this is not the end as the scammers want to get as much money as they can from their victim. Usually they will ask for more money to pay further hospital bills or in some cases the scammer will say they need the money to pay for travel to come and visit the victim. These scammers are relentless and will unashamedly keep asking for money until there is either no money left or the victim finally realises what is happening and cuts off all ties!

 

Another recent scam hitting the headlines is similar to the original format used but in this case of the romance scam, the victim will be convinced they are in an online relationship with a wealthy person. When the scammer has built up trust with the victim they will present a “failsafe” investment opportunity. This is just another way to steal their money. Some recent startling cases from 2022 are detailed in the links below:

 

Woman swindled out of £112000 in romance scam

North East woman scammed out of £200000

 

Many victims of romance fraud find it difficult to admit that they have been scammed as they feel stupid and used – not only have they lost vast sums of money but they have also lost a romantic relationship that they thought they were in! The important point that victims need to be aware of is that these people are expert manipulators who have invested a lot of time in researching their intended victims.

 

Advice from Crimestoppers is if you feel you may be the intended victim of a catfisher then stop immediately and think about what you are doing before parting with any money to someone you have never met in person. Talk to a friend or family member for advice as they may help put some clarity on the situation. Useful and practical advice can also be found at websites such as Take Five or Victim Support NI.