Romance fraud is on the rise, with reports of this callous fraud at some of its highest levels to date, increasing by over 8% in the past year. Anyone can be a victim, regardless of gender or age.

Romance fraud is when criminals engineer relationships using various methods to build trust and companionship before pressurising and manipulating you into sending money.

Criminals often approach targets on dating sites and social media. Increasingly contact is initiated by cold calling tactics, for example ‘wrong number’ messages on communication platforms as this feels less expected or suspicious. They will often spend months building a relationship, making you feel like you’ve found your soulmate. They will then pressure you for money – this could include: paying for travel, gifts, taking out loans or even making investments on their behalf.

In the last year, the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB), run by the City of London Police, received 8,792 reports of romance fraud, amounting to losses of over £94.7 million. The average loss per person was £10,774.

In the West Midlands alone, there were 338 reports of Romance Fraud with £2,900,000 victim losses in the last year.

Khatija Nichols, Fraud and Cyber Protect Coordinator for West Midlands Police, said: “Romance fraud has devastating impacts for those targeted – financially, emotionally, and psychologically. Victims are left feeling isolated and ashamed. If you’ve been affected by romance fraud, please know you’re not to blame, and there is help and support available.”

“We urge anyone who suspects they’ve been targeted by romance fraud to come forward. Reporting not only helps us to learn about the tactics criminals use, but also provides valuable information to help us catch those responsible. By reaching out we can ensure victims receive essential safeguarding and help prevent others from becoming a victim.”

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.).