With Valentines day fast approaching and the rise in the number in people recently signing up to online dating apps (We can thank Brad Pitt for this), an increasing number of daters are falling prey to “Romance Fraud”
Romance fraud affects people throughout the UK and the rest of the world. These cruel scams work by playing on our emotions and often they target individuals who are elderly, over 40, widowed, recently divorced or disabled. These qualities make it easier for the scam artist to lure someone in. Even though you may not think it, romance fraud is incredibly common and even when you think you have your wits about you, these master manipulators mean it’s easy to fall prey to it.
[Read: 10 Reasons To Celebrate Your Singleness This Valentine’s Day]What usually happens?
After months of correspondence with an individual, a person uses a scripted plan to extort money from the person that they “love.” They use different tactics to ask for the money. One common tactic used usually revolves around the need for emergency money. The person might claim that they are out of the country, and therefore, they need assistance in paying for bills or other expenses. Sometimes they ask someone to cash a cheque for them, and other times they ask for cash to be sent directly to their own account. With bank transfers, it’s often incredibly difficult to trace the money, therefore you could end up losing a lot.
Romance fraud is particularly cruel, as it can be tough to accept that the person you have fallen in love with is actually a criminal who only wants money.
[Read: 10 Things Every Single 20-Something Should Remember This Valentine’s Day]How do you avoid it?
The best solution to this type of situation is prevention. If you’re a member of an online dating website, make sure that the person that you’re speaking to is real. If they are not willing to call you, provide personal information or Skype with you, then chances are good that they are a fraud.
The dating world can be tough and there are a lot of unknowns about your potential partner. Some of these can be exciting, for example, discovering your new beau can play the guitar or can cook to a Michelin level is a welcome surprise. However, some discoveries can prove devastating. As dating apps have exploded in use over the last few years so has the number of romance frauds being reported. In 2018, Action Fraud received 4,555 reports of romance fraud, with each of the victims losing an average of £11,145. Victims collectively losing £50,760,000 in 2018 which in turn was almost a 30% increase on 2017.
With romance fraud having become a growth industry, savvy daters are finding themselves doing more research online before making any commitments.
[Read: #BEYOUROWNVALENTINE – Loving yourself is a must this Valentine’s day]Background Check
There are a few ways to stay safe. If you can’t seem to find them on google, or other social media. There are a few online background checkers which you can use. With a Background Report, daters or anyone who has concerns can quickly and discreetly verify information they have been told by their prospective partner, such as:
- Who they live with
- Directorships,
- County court judgements
- Mortality information (to make sure they haven’t stolen someone’s identity)
- Insolvency information.
Whilst the report can’t tell users if their date is anything they say they are, it can give them a measure of reassurance that the person is genuine.
Henry Phillips, Product Director of 192.com, who specialise in dating background reports, commented: “With so many online dating platforms and apps enabling you to meet people with a swipe of your finger, it isn’t surprising to see an increase in people checking possible relationships are who they say they are. By giving people access to over 700 million official public records, we are able to give them a true picture of an individual, and their circumstances. With 4.5 million business addresses and over 30 million residential addresses in the UK, we empower people to take control and protect themselves when dating in 2020.”
So this Valentine’s Day, keep your wits about you. And if it feels too good to be true, then it probably is.
The most disturbing online dating fraud I have seen is the scammers (usually from Africa) that pose as military men and then demand the woman send them money. And old poor lady has sent over $40,000 to some man that she has never met but sings to her every day …