Sussex
Police is encouraging victims of romance fraud to report the
‘fraudster’ who has targeted them, anonymously, via an online form.
The
force has linked up with Scamalytics who have produced a form which,
once completed free of charge, will be sent to genuine dating services
for them to check against their users’ data to detect suspected romance
fraudsters.
Romance
fraud is a fast growing issue which affects both men and women.
Fraudsters will prey on their victims by building, what feels like, a
loving relationship before asking for money to help with a problem they
are experiencing.
Once the initial payment is made, the fraudster will normally ask for more money or cut all contact with the victim.
Reports
made to Action Fraud reveal that £50,766,602 was lost to romance fraud
in 2018 – an average of £11,145 per victim and a 27% increase on the
previous year.
PC
Bernadette Lawrie, BEM, the Sussex Police Financial Abuse Safeguarding
officer, said: “Romance fraud, accounts for 10% of all vulnerable victim
fraud reports across our counties and is one of the most despicable
crimes we see due to the devastating and lasting impact it has on
victims going far beyond the financial loss.
“Victims
are targeted and exploited when they are at their most vulnerable and
the complex tactics and deceitful tales that lure the victims into
parting with such huge sums of money are quite astonishing.
“One
of the most difficult conversations we have is telling a victim that
not only will they not see their money come back but that the person
they believe they are in a relationship with and are looking forward to a
future with, is in fact a criminal posing under a false identity.”
Advice tips for evading scammers are:
- Be wary of giving out personal information
- Never agree to keep your online relationship a secret
- Get to know the person and not the profile
- Never send money or share your bank details on the platform
- Stay on the dating messenger service until confident the person is who they say they are
- Run a search on the internet for their name or any picture they have sent along with the term ‘scam’
- Police Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne said: “Romance fraud is a cruel crime which preys on our vulnerabilities. This is why I have funded two fraud case workers in Sussex who helped and supported 638 people last year alone by offering invaluable emotional support as well as practical advice when they fell victim to this heinous crime.
- “I’m currently running a short poll on my website to find out more about people’s understanding of romance fraud. Please take part in the poll here.”
