Romance Fraud - one of the top five scams in the UK

February is known as the season of love, but it's also when scammers try to steal not only your heart but your money.

Romance fraud, a growing crime that targets both the heart and the pocket, saw an estimated £106 million lost by UK victims in the past financial year.

This style of fraud ranks among the top five scams reported to Action Fraud, where criminals trick people into sending them money by pretending to be in a real relationship.

As a result, anyone searching for love should stay alert and take steps to confirm their 'perfect match' is truly who they claim to be.

In the UK's 2024/2025 financial year, romance fraud saw a nine per centrise in reports, with over £106 million lost – that’s an average £11,222 per victim.

Hardest financially was the 50-59 age group hardest financially, and while more men reported cases, women faced higher losses - often stemming from loneliness and occurring on social media/dating apps. 

Research shows that social media and dating apps are the primary sources, with 35 per cent of scams starting on dating sites and 44 per cent on social media. 

Fraudsters trick victims into sending money or gather enough personal information to steal their identities, resulting in financial and emotional misery.

But it is not just financial misery that takes its toll; there is emotional devastation with victims experiencing anger, embarrassment, and loss of trust, with many discouraged from future relationships.

How to stay safe from romance fraudsters: 

• Be suspicious of any requests for money from someone you have never met in person, particularly if you have only recently met online.
• Be cautious about how much information about yourself you are sharing online and who you are sharing information with.
• Speak to your family or friends to get advice. 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.
• Don’t rush into an online relationship – get to know the person, not the profile: ask plenty of questions.
• Analyse their profile – confirm the person's identity. Check the person is genuine by putting their name, profile pictures or any repeatedly used phrases and the term ‘dating scam’ into your search engine.
• Stay on the dating site messenger service - don't use email, phone, social media or other messaging apps until you’re confident the person is who they say they are.
• Fraudsters sometimes re-establish contact with previous victims claiming that they can help them recover lost money, this is just a secondary scam. Hang up on any callers that claim they can get your money back for you. 

If you or someone you know may have been a victim of romance fraud, contact Report Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or www.reportfraud.police.uk/reporting-a-fraud