Victims of romance fraud in the United Kingdom were defrauded of a staggering £106 million, or $144 million, during 2024.
These new figures were released by the City of London Police, which is the National Lead Force for fraud in the country. Its National Fraud Intelligence Bureau revealed a nine percent annual increase in reports of romance fraud for the 2024/25 financial year. The number of official reports totaled 9449, with victims losing an average of £11,222 each to these sophisticated scams.
Men were found to be slightly more likely than women to fall victim, but female victims often lost much larger sums.
The police force claimed that female victims were more likely to lose larger sums of money as they are often manipulated. These victims are manipulated by the criminals over longer periods of time, sometimes lasting for more than a year before they realize. Often the end goal for these long-term scams is a practice that is known as romance baiting or “pig butchering.” In these schemes, the victim is eventually persuaded to invest their money in a fraudulent cryptocurrency scheme or a similar operation.
Global losses to this particular type of scam soared by forty percent annually in 2024, according to recent data from Chainalysis.
According to the City of London Police, the 50-59 age group experienced the highest financial losses last year, totaling £22.1 million. Police claimed that older people are more likely to have amassed more personal wealth and may have experienced life-changing events. Detective Superintendent Oliver Little argued that this type of romance fraud can leave lasting and very deep emotional scars on its victims. He added that a stigma still surrounds romance fraud victims, which is often driven by many common and very unfair misconceptions. Criminals use sophisticated tactics to manipulate emotions and gain trust, making anyone vulnerable to these scams regardless of their background.
The police have urged the public to stay on the dating app’s own messaging platform rather than switching to SMS or other services. They also advise being suspicious of any requests for money from someone they have never actually met in person before. People should also be very careful about sharing too much personal information online, as this can be used against them. It is also recommended to perform a reverse image search on any new romantic contacts to see if their photos have been stolen. Speaking up about a suspicious online relationship can not only protect yourself but also can help to prevent others from falling victim.
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