More than £700,000 has been scammed out of Northern Ireland by fraudsters targeting individuals looking for love.
Ahead of Valentine’s Day, Northern Ireland Police revealed that they had received 73 reports of romance scams between April and early February last year.
Total losses are estimated at £713,133, including life-changing amounts of over £100,000, £50,000 and £20,000, with other amounts reaching into the hundreds of pounds. It will be done.
Romance scammers aren’t looking for love. They are only after money and don’t care about the consequences of heartbreak or fraud. Follow the advice in Stop Check Report to spot the signs of romance scams and keep your money out of criminal hands: https://t.co/u8J9dVGDd5 pic.twitter.com/hzzPavPIo9
— National Police Agency NI (@PoliceServiceNI) February 12, 2024
The largest single loss reported to the PSNI was £130,000 when payments were made over a period of time to a woman the victim met online.
Police said the woman claimed the money she was entitled to was tied to overseas business, but that she did not have a bank account to access the funds.
After the first payment, she managed to convince the victim to continue sending money.
Another report claims £20,000 was lost by a man who formed an online relationship with a person believed to be a celebrity overseas.
The contact continued for several months until his bank intervened and raised the alarm.
Elsewhere, £15,000 was lost by a woman who believed she had a genuine relationship online with a man who said he worked in the entertainment industry.
After a while, the man said he was having trouble with money. The woman sent him money, but it turned out that the person she thought she was communicating with was actually a scammer.
Detective Chief Inspector Ian Wilson said romance fraud was a “despicable crime” and police believed it was under-reported because people felt embarrassed.
“We hope that by raising awareness of these types of scams, people will know the signs to look out for and feel empowered to stop scammers from extorting their money,” he said.
“We also want to encourage anyone who has lost money to this type of fraud to report it. Our message is: Don’t be ashamed.” If this happens, please let us know. Help and support is available. ”
He warned that scammers will quickly try to establish trust before asking for money or making various excuses.
“At first, they seem charming and very interested in you, but they will make lots of excuses not to meet in person,” he said.
“They will ask for money to solve a problem, for example to pay for medical bills or for travel or investment opportunities.
“They will promise to pay the money back, but the harsh reality is they are not going to pay it back.
“Sadly, the harsh reality for some people who believe they found love online is that they are emotionally and financially drained. It’s despicable and truly heartbreaking. is.”
Mr Wilson said that while the majority of people using social media and online dating sites were genuine, it was important for people to be aware of how to protect themselves and their money from scammers.
“Scammers don’t care about gender, sexuality, age, or race. However, there are some trends in the people who lose money. They are more likely to be between the ages of 30 and 60, and women are more likely to lose money than men. There is also a slightly higher chance of losing money, but the balance is very delicate,” he said.
“Scammers target everyone. Don’t just target you. Remember, sending money to someone you’ve never met will never start a promising relationship. ”
– For further advice and information please visit www.nidirect.gov.uk/scamwiseni or the ScamwiseNI Facebook page @scamwiseni.
You can also contact Action Fraud on www.actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040 or the police non-emergency number 101 or report online at https://www.psni.police.uk/report can.