You don’t have to be looking for romance to fall victim to a romance scam, so in this issue of our Scam alert we are going to take a look at how scammers lure their victims.
Romance scams are one of the highest reported types of fraud in West Sussex, so beware and always question any relationship you strike up online, no matter how harmless it may seem. Romance scams are commonly associated with dating sites, but more recently scammers have been found targeting vulnerable people on charity Facebook pages for people discussing mental health, bereavement and ageing. Dodgy profiles have been found on pages belonging to Age UK, Mind and The Good Grief Trust.
You may have recently lost a loved one, or be caring for a partner with dementia for example and feeling loneliness, depression, isolation, anxiety, all emotions that people want to get out of. So it is no surprise when a fraudster offers hope, excitement, passion, belief, all emotions that make you feel good, that you are tempted into his net of depictions and lies. Fraudsters are experts in psychology and will use your emotions against you. None of us are good at thinking objectively when we are emotional. When we are emotional, we make mistakes.
A scammer will go to great lengths and use various techniques to build a relationship. Scammers know that dating and charity sites are moderated by staff trained to look out for possible fraudsters and scams, so they will want to move the conversation onto a messaging platform to avoid being monitored. A scammer will often try and make you feel special using flattery for things that you have done, or possibly your looks. But they will not want to video chat or meet face-to-face as you will spot that they do not match their profile picture. They will often try to build similarities in interests to help remove any doubt about the person you are messaging. They will probably tell you to keep the relationship secret from friends and family because ‘they won’t understand’, but in reality they don’t want your friends and relations to spot the scam. A scammer can develop such a huge emotional influence on a victim, that even when the scam is uncovered the victim can still feel affection for the person that has scammed them, possibly out of their life savings.
The romance scammers will eventually ask you to send them money or give them access to your bank accounts for what sounds like a legitimate cause, such as to pay for care, urgent hospital treatment or to cover debts because of hardship, often making you feel guilty as you are in a better position than them. They may also encourage you to invest in fake cryptocurrency platforms, telling you that they have made millions from their investment. Or, they may ask you for copies of personal documents or to do them a favour, such as transfer money on their behalf or send/receive parcels for them for example.
To avoid becoming a victim of romance scammers, keep your conversations on the dating or charity site. Do not message them directly. Look out for other warning signs and speak to friends and relatives. There are tools you can use to try and trace the source of a profile picture. One profile picture was traced to a US Army General. Many real profiles that have been cloned by scammers post up warnings that their profiles have been cloned as they have already been contacted by victims looking to recover money.
Obviously never send them money, invest money yourself on their advice or on their behalf or do them personal ‘favours’. If you do transfer money, do not lie to the bank as that will make it difficult for you to recover your money. Banks have procedures in place to help spot when a scam is taking place, but if you lie, their systems won’t work as effectively.
Romance scams can have a huge financial and emotional toll on victims. In the 13 months leading up to May 2022, female victims reported losses of £63m and £32m for male victims. However, the true losses are likely to be much higher. Many people do not report romance scams as they feel ashamed or embarrassed that they have fallen victim to a scam, but you are not alone. By reporting the crime it allows the authorities to track where and how the criminals are operating. It also disrupts criminals which may stop others from falling victim.
If you think you have been a victim of a romance scam, contact your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or via actionfraud.police.uk.
Remember the A,B,C – Assume nothing , Believe nobody and Check everything
Take 5 to Stop Fraud – STOP | CHALLENGE | PROTECT
There are a number of ways you can report a scam:
· Forwarding suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk
· Forward suspicious texts to Ofcom on 7726
· Contact Action Fraud by visiting actionfraud.police.uk or calling 0300 123 2040
· Contact Crimestoppers by visiting crimestoppers-uk.org
If you believe that you have become a victim of an online scam and would like some help, contact Victim Support by visiting victimsupport.org.uk
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Getsafeonline.org has lots of advice about online safety at
https://www.getsafeonline.org
They also have a handy tool to check out whether a website is likely to be legitimate or fraudulent, at https://www.getsafeonline.org/checkawebsite/
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If you would like to receive more information about scams into your email box, you can sign up to the National Action Fraud Alert scheme run by the City of London Police.
https://www.actionfraudalert.co.uk/
Or, you can sign up for Which? Scam Alerts …
https://act.which.co.uk/page/103781/data/1
Or sign up to West Sussex County Staying Safe Online E-newsletter …
https://www.westsussex.gov.uk/fire-emergencies-and-crime/crime-prevention/staying-safe-online/
Article by Liam Dasey. Liam is one of our volunteer Digital Champions, but he is also a volunteer Digital Ambassador for West Sussex County Council and Get Safe Online, helping raise awareness about online safety in the community.
