BEING the victim of any kind of scam is invariably extremely unpleasant…

And ‘romance scams’ can cause victims the greatest harm and distress.

Romance fraud occurs when you think you’ve met the perfect partner online, but they are using a fake profile to form a relationship with you.

Since people who are yearning for love are frequently emotionally fragile, financial scammers find them particularly attractive targets.

These thieves will seek out potential victims via dating apps and social media, disguising their identities behind false names and images and, over the course of several months, will show them a lot of love.

Eventually, after establishing an online relationship and earning their trust and loyalty, the con artist will approach the victim for money and provide a believable explanation regarding why they need it.

For instance, if the con artist says they can't afford to fly to meet them in person, the victim might be eager to meet them in person and willing to pay.

And it rarely stops after just one payment.

Sadly, more and more people are being targeted by romance scammers, with data from Lloyds Bank showing the number of victims rose by more than a fifth in 2023.

So, what steps can you take to protect yourself?

Verify identities before getting involved

Scammers frequently fabricate profiles and pilfer images in order to project a credible image.

They will never reveal their identities on camera.

To verify the legitimacy of the person you are communicating with, perform a ‘reverse image’ search online to see whether their photo might have been used elsewhere.

And be sure to ask for more images.

If they constantly decline to speak with you over a video conversation, use this as a warning sign that something isn't quite right.

Don’t share personal information

When giving out any private information to strangers online, such as your home address or bank account number, always exercise caution.

Once more, if someone is being persistent, this should be taken as a warning sign that they are not who they seem to be.

Be wary of sob stories…

Romance scammers often try to elicit sympathy, perhaps by claiming there’s a sudden family emergency, to persuade their target to send them money.

It’s important to be vigilant for sob stories that end with you being asked to help financially, no matter how close you may feel to the other person.

Take your time getting to know someone

While many successful relationships begin online, scammers will work quickly to establish a deep emotional connection with their target.

It’s therefore really important to be level-headed when you’re engaging with strangers online and not let yourself get swept away by feelings that are hard to control.

If your online partner seems to be trying to progress the relationship very quickly and pressure you into making immediate financial commitments, take a step back and consider that all may not be as it seems.

Report suspicious activity
 
If you recognise any red flags and believe you could be dealing with a fraudster, contact the relevant authorities and the dating platform you’re using.

By making your experiences known, you can help to make sure that scammers are identified and that other people aren’t similarly targeted.

Familiarise yourself with fraudsters' methods

You’ll be in a much stronger position to defend yourself against financial scammers if you know what tactics they use.

Make a point of educating yourself and understanding the methods they employ, so you can recognise causes for concern and avoid falling prey to scammers yourself.

Who is falling victim to romance scams?

According to the Lloyds Bank research, men accounted for 52 per cent of romance scam victims in 2023.

Men and women aged between 55 and 64 were found to be most likely to be defrauded by romance scammers, as the number of cases among this age group increased by almost half last year.

However, people in the age group above are losing the most money, with figures showing 65 to 74-year-old victims were tricked out of £13,123 on average.

The study also revealed that across all age groups, women are reporting higher losses, losing £9,083 on average, compared with £5,145 for men.

The message is simple, if you think you’ve been a victim of a scam, you're not alone. But please do contact your bank immediately and also report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.