Crimestoppers
Fearless
Tackling romance fraud
Increasingly individuals across the UK are meeting people online, on social networks, through online gaming, dating platforms, anywhere people chat online - and therefore more and more people are building relationships with people they’ve never met in person.
Online dating, for example, is now one of the most common ways to meet a romantic partner. While most users are genuine, unfortunately some are looking to take advantage of individuals looking for love.
The combination of circumstance and opportunity means fraudsters now use fake profiles, fabricate stories, manipulate, and coerce – all with the intention of befriending innocent people on the internet, and with the eventual aim of convincing the innocent person to send them money.
This is romance fraud.
The average person loses £10,000 over the period of the scam. In 2021, over £99 million was lost collectively to romance fraud.
Romance fraud can happen to anybody. All genders, ages, sexual orientations. People of all cultural and ethnic backgrounds are victims, with gay men disproportionately targeted, accounting for 12.4% of victims overall in 2021.
Romance fraudsters use language to manipulate, persuade and exploit their victims; they distort their victims’ perception of reality in a similar way to grooming, domestic abuse and coercive control - making it difficult for them to recognise what is happening, living in denial with a fake relationship. The fraudster’s lies can cause severe anxiety, isolation of their victims from their family and friends, and reliance on the fraudster for human connection.
Romance fraud victims’ lives are impacted financially, emotionally and psychologically.
Fraudsters could be individuals acting alone, or more commonly they may be a part of an organised crime group who operate their scam internationally. A range of potential victims can be contacted simultaneously; profiles are carefully tailored to appeal to potential victims who may be lonely, looking for connection or a romantic partner.
They create fake profiles and catfish with stolen images, and they're careful to not set off alarm bells when they ask for money - by keeping up stories, dropping pieces of information over time, often months, or even years, building a wider story of why their need is urgent or needs to be kept a secret. They often hide behind fake documents and use their victims' money across complex networks of money mules, crypto currency investments, moving money in and out of the UK.
Despite being under-reported, in 2021 reports on romance fraud rose by 30% in comparison to 2020; this in turn was a 20% increase from 2019.
Tips on staying safe from romance fraud
Just as with meeting someone offline, it’s important to keep in mind that not everyone is genuine. Don’t be afraid to challenge or check details given by the other person to ensure they are genuine.
Photos too perfect, they look like a model? A reverse image search can find photos that have been taken from somewhere else.
- Remember - anyone can pretend to be anyone they want online.
- Be wary if they’re asking lots of questions about you but not sharing much about themselves.
- Take a moment to think before parting with your money or information.
- Never send money to someone you’ve met online that you don’t know.
- Never transfer money for them or give them access to your bank account.
- Never share personal documents, like your passport or driver’s licence.
- Before you’ve really gotten to know them, they declare their love quickly.
- They make excuses why they can’t video chat or meet in person.
- They try quickly to move your conversations off the platform you met on.
- When they ask for financial help, it’ll be for a time-critical emergency, and the reason will pull at the heartstrings.
- They may get defensive if you decline to help.
- They might tell you to keep your relationship private and not to discuss anything with your friends and family.
- They may have recently become quite withdrawn and secretive and not want to be heard when on the phone.
- They may be showing out-of-character concerns with financial affairs, or have a sudden lack of finances, or an unaccountable increase in financial resources.
- Are they making unusual money transfers or unfamiliar international transfers?
- Are they making repeat purchases of gift cards and vouchers?
- Have they become isolated or have they cut off communication with people close to them who attempt to question their relationship?
If you’ve spotted any of the warning signs that someone might be at risk of romance fraud, or know details about the criminals behind it, you can speak up with information to our charity.
Our charity keeps you 100% anonymous, so no-one will ever know you talked to us, not even us. Learn more about how we’ve kept people anonymous for over 30 years.
You can contact us on the phone or online – just call free on 0800 555 111 or use our online form here on our website 24/7, 365 days a year.
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, contact your bank immediately if you think you’ve fallen for a scam and report it to Action Fraud.
If you’re in Scotland, you can report to Police Scotland by calling 101.
Victim Support (08 08 16 89 111) is an independent charity in England and Wales that provides specialist practical and emotional support to victims and witnesses of crime.
For further information on how to keep safe from Romance Fraud, download the e-booklet below:
