Romance fraud is when a criminal lures you into a fake relationship before convincing you to send them money, or gathering enough personal information to steal your identity.
Contact almost always starts online – via dating websites, social media, chatrooms, or even chat-enabled games. Fraudsters tend to push for an emotional connection quickly, though they may groom victims for many months or even years.
Support can be found here Online romance fraud - Police Scotland
Contact almost always starts online – via dating websites, social media, chatrooms, or even chat-enabled games. Fraudsters tend to push for an emotional connection quickly, though they may groom victims for many months or even years.
Support can be found here Online romance fraud - Police Scotland
SIX WARNING SIGNS
Their profile is too good to be true:
Fraudsters are likely to use a few attractive stock images or photos copied from other people’s profiles. Use Google reverse image or Tineye to see if any images may have been used anywhere else on the internet.
They want to switch platforms quickly:
Fraudsters will typically try to move the conversation away from reputable websites or apps as soon as possible. They may suggest you continue chatting by text, social media, email, or messaging services such as Google Hangouts.
You never meet them in person:
Promising to meet up and cancelling is a red flag, as is finding any reason to avoid going on camera. They often claim to be living or working abroad. They may send you a copy of a stolen passport to ‘prove’ their identity. A face-to-face video call can also be faked, by stealing genuine video clips from someone else's social-media profile or even using artificial intelligence.
They ask for money or gifts:
It’s only a matter of time before a romance fraudster finds a way to ask you for money, pay urgent bills, travel costs, expensive presents, or preloaded gift cards (eg from Amazon, Google Play or iTunes). They may only ask for small sums initially, but can quickly escalate.
They pitch an ‘easy’ investment ‘opportunity’:
Having established trust, they switch the conversation and claim they can help you make some easy money. One victim who started chatting about Bitcoin with someone he met on Facebook Dating. He started with £500, but eventually borrowed £35,000 before realising the links were to a spoof website and the ’profits’ were fake.
They are emotionally manipulative:
Fraudsters often ask you to keep things a secret from friends and family. They may fabricate family tragedies, illness, or other dramatic events to manipulate you. They even scan the internet to target people who may be more emotionally vulnerable, such as the recently bereaved or divorcees
Fraudsters are likely to use a few attractive stock images or photos copied from other people’s profiles. Use Google reverse image or Tineye to see if any images may have been used anywhere else on the internet.
They want to switch platforms quickly:
Fraudsters will typically try to move the conversation away from reputable websites or apps as soon as possible. They may suggest you continue chatting by text, social media, email, or messaging services such as Google Hangouts.
You never meet them in person:
Promising to meet up and cancelling is a red flag, as is finding any reason to avoid going on camera. They often claim to be living or working abroad. They may send you a copy of a stolen passport to ‘prove’ their identity. A face-to-face video call can also be faked, by stealing genuine video clips from someone else's social-media profile or even using artificial intelligence.
They ask for money or gifts:
It’s only a matter of time before a romance fraudster finds a way to ask you for money, pay urgent bills, travel costs, expensive presents, or preloaded gift cards (eg from Amazon, Google Play or iTunes). They may only ask for small sums initially, but can quickly escalate.
They pitch an ‘easy’ investment ‘opportunity’:
Having established trust, they switch the conversation and claim they can help you make some easy money. One victim who started chatting about Bitcoin with someone he met on Facebook Dating. He started with £500, but eventually borrowed £35,000 before realising the links were to a spoof website and the ’profits’ were fake.
They are emotionally manipulative:
Fraudsters often ask you to keep things a secret from friends and family. They may fabricate family tragedies, illness, or other dramatic events to manipulate you. They even scan the internet to target people who may be more emotionally vulnerable, such as the recently bereaved or divorcees