Online Romance Scam 2023: UK Citizens Directed to Be Aware of Online Traps
People looking for love online have been warned to be on the lookout for online romance scams this Valentine’s Month, as romance frauds have increased by more than a third, according to reports by The Charity and Victim Support.
The Charity, the UK’s largest provider of victim services, is issuing a warning to online daters following a 38% increase in the number of romance fraud victims served by its services. In 2022, it assisted 322 victims, up from 233 in 2021.
One 39-year-old woman received an Instagram message from someone claiming to be in the US military. After a few days of chatting, romance blossomed and he told her he loved her.
He then began asking for money, claiming that he wanted to leave the US military to be with her but needed money to do so. She initially sent money to him, losing £4,000, but then she became suspicious.
“I found an online romance scam website and all I had to do was type in the surname of the person he said he was and there was page after page after page of people saying ‘don’t speak to this person, he asked me for £3,000’, ‘he’s asked me for money and he wants to come to the UK,'” she explained.
“There were about 17 pages just about this person – he was on every dating site. It made me feel nauseous.”
The charity has compiled a list of red flags to help people avoid online romance scammers, such as early declarations of love and excessive flattery, asking victims to keep the relationship a secret, and making up excuses for being unable to make a video call.
Romance scammers may demand money by saying things like “but I thought we were in love,” if the victim appears hesitant to give money.
Some request that the victim accept money from third parties into their account, indicating that they are attempting to use the account for money laundering.
Rogue dating profiles can be reported to both Scamalytics and Victim Support. Victims are urged to report any financial losses to their bank and Action Fraud, as well as to maintain a high level of security across their social media accounts.
Romance fraud is extremely frequent and we often see rises at periods when people are feeling lonely or isolated.
We are aware that for some people, the impending Valentine’s Month can be a trigger. Everyone should be on the lookout for online romance scammers who may pose as their ideal partner.” said Lisa Mills, a romance fraud expert at Victim Support.
What are Online Romance Scams?
Online romance scams, also known as dating scams or romance frauds happen when a person believes they have made a connection or match through an online dating site or app. Whereas the person they are speaking with is a scammer with a fake profile.
The scammer manipulates or grooms the other person over time in order to gain their trust in order to either ask for money or obtain enough personal information about them to steal their identity.
Common Stories Used in Online Romance Scams
- Online Romance Scammers claim that they need money from the victim to pay for flights (or, in some cases, a passport) to the victim’s country.
- In order to continue communicating with the victim, the scammer asks the victim to pay their phone bills or purchase a new laptop.
- Funds to pay for medical treatment of the scammer or a close relative.
- The scammer claims to have valuables seized by Customs and that they must pay taxes before they can recover their belongings and join the victim in their country.
- The scammer claims that their boss has paid them in postal money orders and asks the victim to cash the forged money orders and wire the funds to the scammer.
- Before they can visit the victim, the scammer needs money to finish their education.
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