Almost half of people in Wales have received possible 'romance scam' messages online
Santander UK reveals victims of romance scams, across all ages from 18 to 93, lose an average of £4,500 each
Last updated 4th Oct 2024
New research by Santander UK shows £6.8 million has been stolen in the last 12 months across Wales to romance scams.
It also reveals victims of romance scams, across all ages from 18 to 93, lose an average of £4,500 each
Almost half of people in Wales (44%) have received unsolicited online romantic or flirtatious messages, which they suspected or have confirmed to be a scam
Santander’s behavioural expert, Peter Staffell, said that despite two-thirds (66%) of people in Wales believing they would never become a victim, our natural reaction to loneliness in today’s digital age is creating an opportunity for scammers to exploit.
Over half of people in Wales (57%) admit to feeling lonely at some point.
One in four (27%) say they would use social or online forums to meet new people to combat feelings of isolation and a similar number (32%) believe they can form a deep emotional connection with someone simply by speaking online.
Unfortunately, this creates an opportunity for scammers and almost half of people in Wales (44%) have received unsolicited romantic or flirtatious messages online, which they either suspected or turned out to be scams.
Once an emotional connection has been formed the scammers can execute their plan, with nearly a third (28%) of people saying they would offer financial support to a romantic partner they’ve known for less than six months.
This number rises sharply to more than half (53%) where the relationship has been going on for longer than six months.
Common reasons cited by scammers requesting money ranged from support with medical expenses, to simply requiring a gift.
Peter Staffell, Behavioural Expert at Santander UK, explains:
“Scammers are experts at presenting themselves as someone you can trust, someone who ‘gets’ you."
"They play the long game, building a relationship before executing on their scam and, as our research shows, it’s a natural instinct for many of us to willingly lend a financial hand to someone who we have formed an emotional bond with."
“Then they’ve gone. The scam is complete, and the impact extends far beyond the financial losses, leaving emotional scars and often people feeling more isolated than before."
"You can take control though, a few simple checks when you first start to speak to someone, and before your emotions take hold, can reveal a lot about the person you’re speaking to and save heartache further down the line.”
How to protect yourself from romance and friendship scams:
Try to remove emotion from your decision making.
Be really careful if you're lending or giving someone money.
No matter how urgent their reason might seem, it’s important you think it through.
Talk it through first with a trusted friend or your family.
Santander UK advises to never send money or give card details, online account details, or copies of important personal documents to anyone you’ve only met online.