Romance fraud cost North East victims hundreds of thousands of pounds in 2022

Geordies looking for love online this Valentine’s Day should be on high alert for dating scammers.

Romance fraud cost people of the North East over £500,000 last year, with £88 million lost to criminals nationwide according to Action Fraud.

It is estimated so much more money will have been lost, with many victims too embarrassed to report the matter to the police.

Temporary Detective Chief Superintendent, Matt Bradford, from the City of London Police, which helps to run Action Fraud, said: “Typically, romance fraudsters will spend weeks gaining their victims’ trust, feeding them fabricated stories about who they are and their lives- and initially making no suggestion of any desire to ask for any money, so the victim may believe their new interest is genuine

But weeks, or sometimes months later, these criminals will ask for money for a variety of emotive reasons and as the emotional relationship has already been formed, victims often transfer money without a second thought.”

According to Action Fraud, the average amount lost by victims is £11,000.

High street banks issued warnings and advice regarding romance fraud in the run up to Valentine’s Day.

Liz Ziegler, Fraud Prevention Director at Lloyds Bank, said: “The convincing lies told by fraudsters mean that while romance scam victims think they are falling in love, they’re actually falling for a scam. As well as losing thousands of pounds they also have to deal with this emotional betrayal.

“The sad truth is there was never any genuine connection, with criminals ruthlessly targeting multiple victims at the same time, and disappearing with the money as soon as they get found out.”

If you think you’ve been a victim of fraud, contact your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud online at police.uk, or by calling 0300 123 2040.