Men in their twenties hit hardest by romance fraud

byblognet -2/13/2024 02:50:00 AM

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Scammers cast their nets far and wide, but police data suggests more young men are falling prey to dating scams, while women tend to report higher losses.

Romance fraudsters (also known as catfish) typically hide behind fake profiles on dating sites, social media and other online forums to establish contact then spend weeks or even months grooming their victims before asking for ‘help’ or suggesting investment ‘opportunities’ to line their own pockets.

Here we uncover their tactics and the common lies they peddle, before sharing the seven signs that you - or someone you care for - is dating a romance scammer.

Reporting romance fraud

Due to the nature of a romance scam, victims can often be too nervous or embarrassed to report the scam so it’s difficult to gauge the true scale of the problem.

A recent report by UK Finance, the trade association for the banking industry, said that bank customers lost £18.5m (across 2,120 cases) to romance scams during January to June 2023, up 26% compared with the same period in 2022.

Action Fraud - the national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime in England, Wales and Northern Ireland - puts losses at more than double this, totalling £43.4m (4,109 cases) over the same period.

Younger males aged 20-29 filed the most reports overall (1,200), followed by females aged 50-59 (830), yet average losses tend to be higher for females (£13,000) than males (£7.400).

Where do romance fraudsters lurk?

Many romance fraudsters start with messages or friendship requests on social media and dating websites or apps, so it’s sensible to think twice about any contact from strangers you encounter online.

Those who have experienced a recent break-up, divorce, or bereavement may be particularly vulnerable, although Jim Winters, Nationwide’s Director of Economic Crime, told Which? that anyone can be targeted:

‘All sorts of online forums can be used to create a friendship; it doesn’t need to be a specific dating site. However, these are only the starting point for conversations as criminals will always aim to get them off these sites to communicate via text/WhatsApp for example. They will try to strike up a friendship with the victim to create an opportunity where they can appear to have money troubles whereby the victim will often offer financial assistance, often without a direct request being made.’

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Common lies used by romance scammers

Experts say there is a clear link between romance fraud and coercive control, more often associated with domestic abuse. Romance fraudsters fabricate jobs (usually those that conveniently keep them abroad such as a soldier, medic, or oil-rig worker), family tragedies and illnesses, using clever language and false intimacy to manipulate victims.

Someone close to the scammer is sick, hurt or in jail

The scammer can teach you how to invest

The scammer claims to be in the military and far away

The scammer needs help with an important delivery

The scammer has never met the victim but wants to talk about marriage

The scammer claims to have come into some money or gold

The scammer works on an oil rig or ship

The scammer claims you can trust them with your private pictures

Sending money to romance fraudsters

Criminals rely on anonymity to evade authorities so they may try to persuade victims to send money outside of the UK or request that they buy gift cards from retailers such as Amazon, Google Play or iTunes.