Romance Scams
What are they?

Romance scams can be very cruel.
They play on people's emotions and vulnerabilities. Unfortunately, they’re also very common, with Action Fraud reporting that £68 million was lost to romance scams in 2020 alone.

What’s a romance scam?

A romance scammer will build up trust by developing a convincing relationship with you, usually online. You may meet them on a dating site or on social media where they’ll be lurking behind an apparently genuine profile. Once the scammer has gained your trust, they’ll start asking you to send money, vouchers or gifts. Scammers are becoming increasingly sophisticated and will even find ways to get your personal details or passwords to access your bank account. They’ll invent reasons for needing money such as health issues, business issues or any other troubles they desperately need money to fix.

How can I protect myself from romance scams?

A Story

Romance scammers usually have a story that justifies why they’re asking for money. Question whether this story makes sense, and never send money to someone you haven’t met face to face.

Image search

Reverse image search the photo of the person you’re speaking to. Scammers will often steal these from legitimate profiles on the internet.

Don't reveal too much

Don’t reveal too much information about yourself online, especially on social media.

Talk to people

Talk to people you trust for advice about the relationship to get their view.

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