Category: Fraud and cybercrime

More than £7million has been lost to “appalling” romance fraudsters over the past 12 months in Surrey and Sussex, Commissioner Lisa Townsend has warned.

Across both counties, more than 600 reports of romance fraud have been made to police in a year, making it one of the highest-reported fraud types.

Victims can be of any age and background, although most reports are from those aged over 50.

A common misconception is that women are more likely to be affected. However, across Surrey and Sussex, 48 per cent of victims are male, and 52 per cent female.

Fraudsters make contact through a range of means, including dating sites, social media platforms, and in person. They will research social media or dating profiles in order to present themselves as the ‘perfect match’, and swiftly encourage victims to move to messaging on less monitored apps such as WhatsApp, Google Hangouts, and Telegram. 

“Appalling”

Requests for money do not happen straightaway. A fraudster will make sure they know their victim well first, establishing what appears to be a genuine relationship over several weeks or even months. This is known as ‘the grooming period’.

They may use language to manipulate, persuade, and exploit, meaning that eventual requests for money don’t immediately raise alarm bells.

Payment is commonly made through bank transfers, but last year gift cards including iTunes vouchers became the fastest growing payment type.

One such victim in Sussex sent a fraudster over £100,000 through gift cards.

She first met the fraudster through a friend request on a Facebook group for dog lovers, and believed the conman to be an engineer and oil rig contractor working overseas.

Victim loses £100,000

Over time, the criminal told her he was in poor health, his accounts had been frozen, and his daughter was in a coma.

He instructed the victim to buy Apple iTunes vouchers and share the barcodes so he was able to cash them.

The victim ultimately took out a £32,000 mortgage on her home and a £12,00 bank loan. She sold shares, borrowed money from relatives, and pawned family jewellery, and was constantly in her overdraft. Eventually her family became aware of the extent of the fraud and it was reported to police.

Lisa said: “This is an appalling category of fraud.

“It can have a hugely traumatic impact on victims, who believe they have formed a genuine connection, and will feel the grief of both the crime itself and the loss of a relationship they believed to be real.

“Please come forward”

“The victim may feel true devastation, and they may also feel embarrassed at what has happened.

“To those who believe they’ve been scammed, I say to you directly: please come forward. You will not be judged or shamed by Surrey Police.

“The criminals who carry out this type of offending are dangerous and emotionally manipulative, and they can be extremely clever.

“If you are suffering, please know that you are not alone. It is not your fault.

“Our officers take all reports of romance fraud incredibly seriously, and they are dedicated to tracking down those responsible.”

Impact on victims

Financial Abuse Safeguarding Officer Bernadette Lawrie said: “This is a horrible crime type preying on people at their most vulnerable.

“Fraudsters manipulate and isolate their victims, often encouraging secrecy from family members, which can result in a breakdown of their support network and relationships.

“The impact is far more than purely financial, with victims suffering long-term effects to their physical and mental wellbeing. It can take a long time for trust and confidence to be rebuilt. “

Force’s advice

No matter how long you have been talking to someone online and how much you think you trust them, if you have not met in person, it is important that you do not:

• Send them any money
• Allow them access to your bank account
• Transfer money on their behalf
• Take out a loan for them
• Provide copies of your personal documents eg. passport, driving licence etc.
• Invest your own money on their behalf or on their advice
• Purchase and send the codes on gift cards such as Amazon or iTunes vouchers
• Agree to receive and / or send parcels on their behalf (laptops, mobile phones etc.)

Always remember DATES:

D – Don’t rush into an online relationship

Get to know the person not the profile

A – Analyse their profile

Protect yourself by confirming their identity

T – Talk to Friends and Family

Be wary of anyone who tells you not to tell others about them

E – Evade the scammers

Never send money or share your bank details with someone you’ve only met online

S – Stay on the dating messenger service

Fraudsters will often encourage their victims to use different communication platforms that are often undetectable.

For more information about protecting yourself from romance fraud, visit https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/a-z-of-fraud/dating-fraud

If you think you have been a victim of a romance scam, do not feel ashamed or embarrassed – you are not alone. Contact your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or via actionfraud.police.uk.

IF ROMANCE has turned to finance, you could be the victim of a cruel scammer, Surrey’s Police and Crime Commissioner has warned.

Lisa Townsend has urged Surrey residents to be wary of romance fraud after reports of the offence rose by more than 10 per cent in a year.

Data recorded by Surrey Police’s Operation Signature – the Force’s campaign to identify and support vulnerable victims of fraud – reveals that in 2023, 183 people came forward to tell police they’d been targeted. The number of people who came forward in 2022 was 165.

Men made up 55 per cent of victims, and almost 60 per cent of those targeted were living alone. A majority of those to report an offence – 41 per cent – were aged between 30 and 59, while 30 per cent of reports were made by people aged between 60 and 74.

Counting the cost

In total, Surrey victims lost £2.73million.

Action Fraud, the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime, recorded 207 reports of romance fraud in Surrey over the course of the year. Victims of fraud often report offences directly to Action Fraud, rather than their local police force.

Lisa has urged anyone who thinks they may have been targeted to come forward.

“This crime is truly distressing,” she said.

“It can be deeply personal to victims, who may feel the grief of both the crime itself and the loss of what they believed to be a genuine relationship.

“If a romantic connection has become focused on finances, it could be a sign of romance fraud.

“These criminals will try to stop their victims from discussing too much with their family and friends. They may say they live abroad, or have a high-profile job that keeps them busy.

“But ultimately, all will begin to find different ways to ask for money.

“It is devastating for victims to discover that the person they have built a relationship with is just a fantasy and – worse still – formed that attachment with the specific intent of doing them harm.

“Victims can feel embarrassed and ashamed to reveal what has happened to them.

“Please come forward”

“To those who believe they’ve been scammed, I say to you directly: please come forward. You will not be judged or shamed by Surrey Police.

“The criminals who carry out this type of offending are dangerous and emotionally manipulative, and they can be extremely clever.

“If you are suffering, please know that you are not alone. It is not your fault.

“Our officers take all reports of romance fraud incredibly seriously, and they are dedicated to tracking down those responsible.”

Surrey Police has offered the following advice on spotting the signs of a romance fraudster:

•            Be wary of giving out personal information on a website or chatroom

•            Fraudsters will make conversations personal to get information out of you, but won’t tell you much about themselves that you could check or verify

•            Romance fraudsters often claim to have high-ranking roles that keep them away from home for a long time. This could be a ploy to allay suspicions about not meeting in person

•            Fraudsters will usually attempt to steer you away from chatting on legitimate dating sites that can be monitored

•            They may tell stories to target your emotions – for example, that they have an ill relative or are stranded abroad. They may not ask directly for money, instead hoping that you will offer from the goodness of your heart

•            Sometimes, the fraudster will send you valuable items like laptops and mobile phones before asking you to send them on. This is likely a way for them to cover up any criminal activity

•            They may also ask you to accept money into your bank account and then transfer it elsewhere or via MoneyGram, Western Union, iTunes vouchers or other gift cards. These scenarios are very likely to be forms of money laundering, meaning you would be committing a crime

For more information, visit surrey.police.uk/romancefraud

To contact Surrey Police, call 101, use the Surrey Police website or get in touch on the Force’s social media pages. Always dial 999 in an emergency.

VICTIMS of romance fraud in Surrey have lost almost £2million to “callous” criminals in just a year, Police and Crime Commissioner Lisa Townsend has warned.

Speaking to mark Romance Fraud Awareness Week and World Romance Scam Prevention Day, the Commissioner said the crime often results in significant financial and emotional harm.

Between September 2022 and September of this year, 170 reports of romance fraud were made to Surrey Police, and 191 reports from Surrey residents were made to Action Fraud.

Most of the victims who contacted the Force – 23 per cent – were initially approached via dating apps, although 14 per cent of those targeted began speaking with fraudsters on Facebook, and 13 per cent were first contacted on WhatsApp.

“Heart-breaking”

More than half of victims – 53 per cent – were male.

While most money was lost via bank transfer – 42 per cent – fraudsters also encouraged their victims to part ways with their cash by purchasing gift cards, Amazon vouchers and Bitcoin.

As part of the Force’s Operation Signature, its campaign to identify and support vulnerable victims of fraud, the total amount lost over the year is estimated to be £1.95m.

The figures are down on the previous year, when 184 people made a report and an estimated £3.76m was lost.

However, Lisa said even one report is too many.

Scam awareness

“Romance fraud is a heart-breaking crime that can often cause huge damage to its victims,” she said.

“The scammers behind this type of offending deceive their victims into investing money and – perhaps even more harmfully – their time and emotional energy under the mistaken belief that they have a genuine connection.

“This offending relies on building a deeply personal relationship with the victim in order to extort them of their money. The victim can find it difficult to end contact as their emotional ties are so strong.

“Often, those affected can be left feeling ashamed and embarrassed.

Commissioner’s plea

“I want to let anyone who is suffering now know that they are not alone. This is not their fault.

“The criminals behind this appalling fraud are clever and manipulative.

“Please speak to Action Fraud and Surrey Police if you think you may be the victim of a scam. Our officers will never judge you, and they take reports of romance fraud incredibly seriously.”

To report a crime to Action Fraud, visit actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040.

Surrey Police has offered the following advice on spotting the signs of a romance fraudster:

• Be wary of giving out personal information on a website or chatroom
• Fraudsters will make conversations personal to get information out of you, but won’t tell you much about themselves that you could check or verify
• Romance fraudsters often claim to have high-ranking roles that keep them away from home for a long time. This could be a ploy to allay suspicions about not meeting in person
• Fraudsters will usually attempt to steer you away from chatting on legitimate dating sites that can be monitored
• They may tell stories to target your emotions – for example, that they have an ill relative or are stranded abroad. They may not ask directly for money, instead hoping that you will offer from the goodness of your heart
• Sometimes, the fraudster will send you valuable items like laptops and mobile phones before asking you to send them on. This is likely a way for them to cover up any criminal activity
• They may also ask you to accept money into your bank account and then transfer it elsewhere or via MoneyGram, Western Union, iTunes vouchers or other gift cards. These scenarios are very likely to be forms of money laundering, meaning you would be committing a crime