Finding love online has become a popular way for many to find love and friendship. Fraudsters create fake profiles on dating sites or social media to establish a relationship with someone, with the aim of taking their money.
They gain your trust by appealing to your compassionate side, finding out personal information about you and creating fake stories so it seems like you have a lot in common.
Fraudsters typically spend weeks or months establishing what appears to be a genuine, caring relationship. Once they have gained your trust, they start inventing reasons for needing money or personal information maybe even asking you to take out a loan for them in your name these may be for things such as medical emergencies or financial troubles.
There will often be a promise of paying you back. Being targeted by a romance fraudster does not mean a victim is gullible or naive. Such scams are prolific and increasingly run by criminal organisations, practised experts at psychological manipulation.
Romance fraud is one of the highest reported frauds to Sussex and Surrey Police. In Sussex, from 1 October 2023 to 30 September 2024, there were 423 reports of romance fraud of those reports 320 reported a loss which is a 28% increase on the previous 12 months, with an average loss to those victims of £13,278.00.
In Surrey, from 1 October 2023 to 30 September 2024, there were 218 reports of romance fraud of those reports 160 reported a loss which is a 17% increase on the previous 12 months, with an average loss to those victims of £19,814.00. There is also a common misconception that romance fraud mainly affects women, but this fraud does not discriminate via gender with 54% in Sussex and 48% in Surrey being female and 46% in Sussex and 52% in Surrey being male.
EXAMPLES OF ROMANCE FRAUD NARRATIVES SEEN IN SURREY AND SUSSEX:
Someone working on an oil rig / A Soldier working abroad. The need to pay legal fees to access an inheritance/lottery win that can be shared with victim. They have found a lorry load of cash or gold and need payment to clear customs. The scammer needs money to pay for an operation for them or a close family member. The scammer asking to use their bank account to deposit and move cash around. Providing victims with great investment opportunities, which then turn into an additional investment fraud, alongside the Romance fraud,