10% increase in romance fraud in Wiltshire during 2023

Cases of romance fraud in Wiltshire have increased by nearly 10% in the last year, with 115 incidents reported to police.

We're told the victims collectively lost more than £650,000 to scammers.

Romance fraud is when people are defrauded into sending money to criminals, who gain their trust and convince them that they are in a genuine relationship.

It impacts those targeted financially, emotionally, and psychologically.

Scammers often engineer scenarios that pressure victims into handing over money, such as paying for travel, buying items like mobile phones, and in some cases, taking out loans or making investments on their behalf.

Detective Constable Fraud Protect Officer, Rachel Davies, said:

“We’re seeing growing numbers of victims to romance fraud across the county but it’s still shocking to see increases of nearly 10% in reports over the last year.

“However, we’re aware there will be cases which go unreported as unfortunately some victims will blame themselves or be too embarrassed about the situation. We encourage everyone to come forward who may have been a victim of this horrible and devastating crime, you could also help prevent it from happening to someone else. Sharing intelligence can really help us learn their tactics and increase changes of catching those responsible.

“We understand victims of romance fraud not only often suffer significant financial losses, but also face the psychological and emotional impact of losing a perceived partner and support system, especially after having been manipulated and deceived in such a callous, calculated way.

“If you believe you may be involved in romance fraud and would like confidential advice, please do contact me to talk through your concerns. Get in touch by calling 101 and asking for PC 1682 Rachel Davies.”

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.

There's also a fairly equal split between male and female victims (42% and 58% respectively) and all age groups are affected.

Reports are most common from men aged 50–79 and women aged 30-79.

Here's some advice to stay safe from romance fraud:

• 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.

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.).

You can report concerns to Action Fraud through their website or be calling 0300 123 2040. www.actionfraud.police.uk

If you have lost any money, it is important you also immediately report it to your bank by calling the number on the back of your bank card.

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.