Police warn of ‘despicable’ romance scams ahead of Valentine’s Day

Police are urging people to be aware of “despicable and heartbreaking” romance scams ahead of Valentine’s Day.

Advice to cross-check the profiles of online love interests with their social media accounts, and to carry out reverse image searches of profile photos, has been issued to ensure people are genuine.

People have also been strongly advised against sending money to someone they have not met in person.

Chief Superintendent Gerard Pollock, chairman of the ScamwiseNI Partnership, believes this type of scam is under-reported because people feel embarrassed, but said help is available.

Mr Pollock said that about £96 million is lost in romance scams each year in the UK.

“Locally, we’ve seen losses ranging from hundreds of pounds to more than £100,000,” he said.

“One of the most significant in Northern Ireland last year involved the loss of £112,000, where a woman had met the scammer via a dating app and went on to develop what she thought was a genuine relationship.

“She was persuaded to put her money in cryptocurrency, with the promise of a quick profit. This never materialised and, unfortunately, she was left out of pocket and devastated financially and emotionally.

“Scammers seek to build a relationship quickly before requesting money. Initially, they are charming and appear very interested in you, but will have lots of excuses for not being able to meet face to face.

“Then they’ll ask for money to help them sort out their problems, or to help them pay for travel, or some investment opportunity.

“They’ll promise to repay the money, but the harsh reality is they have no intention of that and, sadly, for some people looking for romance online, they find a scammer trying to swindle them out of their money.

“It’s despicable and it’s heartbreaking.”

Mr Pollock said it was important for people to be are aware of how to keep money safe from scammers.

“Scammers don’t care about gender, sexuality, age or race. But we do see some trends in those who lose money – more frequently they’re aged between 30-60 years old and women are slightly more likely to lose money than men, but it’s very finely balanced.

“They target everyone, please don’t let it be you,” he said.

The police said only chat to people on the dating app or website they use; carry out your own research on the person, using details such as their location and family members to “help identify inconsistencies”; and to check the person’s profile photo is valid.

Further advice is available on the ScamwiseNI website and Facebook page, or by calling Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or the police on the non-emergency number 101.