Scamwatch: romance fraud
Stay one step ahead of the fraudsters with our series of articles giving you the lowdown on the scams they use to trick people out of their hard-earned cash - and how to avoid being taken in by them.
This week, we explain how romance fraud can be one of the cruellest - and most successful - online scams.
How does it work?
Romance fraud can take many different forms. But it always has the same result.
The person being targeted is asked to send money to the fraudster they have been chatting with online, for example to cover the cost of them travelling to a meet up or to pay urgent medical bills.
In one recent case, a love-struck British woman was fleeced of an incredible £1.6 million by two men she met through an online dating site.
The criminals behind the fraud, Ife Ojo, 31, and Olusegun Agbaje, 43, are due to be sentenced early next year.
But the online dating scene is riddled with scams. Official figures indicate that Britons lost a whopping £4 million to romance scams last year alone.
How can I avoid being caught out?
It is important to remember that anyone you chat to online could be lying about his or her identity. And if he or she seems too good to be true, they probably are.
Signs that you may be being targeted by fraudsters include that the person asks you to communicate via email rather than through the dating website.
If he or she then asks you to send money or hand over your credit card or current account details, you can be pretty sure it is a scam.
I've been defrauded. What should I do?
If you have been caught out by romance fraud, break off contact with the fraudster immediately.
Then report the scam to Action Fraud (0300 123 2040), as well as the dating website through which you met.
Detective Chief Inspector Gary Miles, Met Police, said: "Victims of this fraud must understand that they are not foolish and they are not alone - the reality is that the fraudsters are extremely manipulative and go to great lengths to convince their victims they are in love and desperately in need of their financial assistance."
It may also be worth contacting your bank to see if you can recoup any money sent, for example by cancelling a cheque.
