With increasing restrictions placed upon our lives due to COVID-19, millions of people have turned to online dating sites to meet someone and spark human interaction. In some instances, it is genuinely love at first sight, but not in others. In such an emotionally charged environment some enter this not for love but for financial gain and tragically, many stumble upon con artists who are eager to take advantage of people looking to make a connection. The fraudster builds up rapport by making up a story and, once they have established enough trust, moves onto the real reason they are there, asking for money. According to UK Finance, there was a 20% increase in bank transfer fraud linked to romance scams in 2019 compared to 2018. However, the damage to the victim often goes much deeper than the financial loss suffered. Navigating relationships can be fraught at the best of times, but here are few things that may help you identify if it is a scammer or not.
Liar liar
Red flags that might help you spot scammers include:
Asking a lot personal questions about you while avoiding answering personal questions about themselves
Trying to establish a bond quickly by telling you “this is the first time they’ve felt like this before”, giving you an endearing pet name or even that they are in love with you
Preferring to move the communication away from dating websites and towards texting or phone calls as the scammers know that the dating website will have no proof of them asking you for money
Asking for financial help by making up lies (which is covered below)
never meeting them in person as they are either “out of the country at the moment” or have made up excuses about why they had to cancel - sometimes these include financial reasons
Scammers are inventive when it comes to creating a facade with which to lure victims. Some frequently used lies by scammers in order to request funds include paying:
For a plane ticket or other travel expenses
For surgery or other medical expenses
Customs fees
Off gambling debts
For a visa or other official travel documents
Scammers usually request funds via wiring money, putting money on a gift card, or loading money onto a prepaid card. Scammers know that this way, they can get cash quickly and remain anonymous and the transactions are almost impossible to reverse.
Protect yourself
Never send money to a romantic interest you haven’t met in person. If you suspect a romance scam:
Stop communicating with the person immediately
Do a search for the type of job the person has to see if other people have heard similar stories. For example, you could do a search for “UK Army scammer”
Do a reverse image search of the person's profile picture to see if it’s associated with another name or with details that don’t match up
Contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040
If you’d like to learn more, please contact Ishima Romain, consultant or email us at: contact@fintrail.com.