121 reports of romance fraud reported in Suffolk over the last year
Across the country, reports have increased by over 8%
New figures show people in Suffolk have lost £1400 to romance fraud in the last year.
Across the country, reports have increased by over 8%, with the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) reporting it's received 8,792 reports of romance fraud, amounting to losses of over £94.7 million in the last year.
The average loss per person was £10,774.
Romance fraud is when people are defrauded into sending money to criminals who go to great lengths to gain their trust and convince them that they are in a genuine relationship.
In Suffolk there were 121 reports.
Detective Superintendent Oliver Little, from the City of London Police, said: “Romance fraud continues to be one of the most common types of fraud that is reported and it is shocking to see an increase of nearly 10 per cent in the number of reports made in the last year.
“Despite this increase, we know romance fraud is a heavily underreported crime so it is likely to be significantly more widespread. We encourage everyone to come forward if they think they could be a victim.
“There is no shame in telling your story, as it is through this sharing of intelligence that can really help us learn about the tactics used and, ultimately, catch those responsible. Your report may be the final piece in the puzzle, as often these callous criminals will target more than one person.”
More about romance fraud
For almost a third of those targeted, fraudsters spent more than a year using various tactics to build trust and companionship.
This long-term form of coercion is then used to engineer scenarios that pressure victims into handing over money. This could include paying for travel, convincing the victim to pay for an item such as a mobile phone, and, in some cases, taking out loans or making investments on their behalf.
Of the reports made 45% of approaches were via online dating sites, 41% were made by social media and 12% via communications platforms.
Increasingly criminals approach targets on social media and communications platforms rather than dating sites, as such approaches are less expected. Some reporting also suggests that criminals are using cold outreach methods, for example ‘wrong number’ messages and hacked social media accounts, to approach targets.
Contrary to common misconceptions, there is a fairly equal split between male and female victims (42% and 58% respectively) and all age groups are affected. Men aged 50–79 and women aged 30-79 report the most.
How to stay safe from romance fraudsters
If you have met someone via a dating app, stay within the messaging function of the application. Don’t feel pressured to hand over your mobile number and move the conversation over to SMS or a messaging platform like Whatsapp or Telegram.
Be suspicious of any requests for money from someone you have never met in person.
Be cautious about how much personal information you are sharing online and who you are sharing information with.
Speak to your family or friends to get advice and perspective. Fraudsters will subtly isolate you for their own purposes.
Profile photos may not be genuine. Performing a reverse image search can find photos that have been taken from somewhere, or someone, else.
It is important that no matter how long you’ve been speaking to someone online and how much you think you trust them, if you have not met them in person, it’s important that you do not:
- send them any money, even in the form of gift cards;
- allow them access to your bank account;
- transfer money on their behalf;
- take a loan out for them;
- provide copies of your personal documents, such as passports or driving licenses;
- invest your own money on their behalf or on their advice;
- purchase and send the codes on gift cards; or
- agree to receive and/or send parcels on their behalf (laptops, mobile phones etc.).