Police warn of romance scammers

CRUEL scammers have conned people out of at least £700,000 across the North in the past ten months in online romance scams, although the total could be much higher with many embarrassed to report they have fallen victim to the fraudsters.

This Valentine’s Day police have revealed just over £713,000 was lost to romance scams in the North since April last year, in attempt to raise awareness and urge people who have been swindled while looking for love to come forward.

Some of the victims lost life-changing sums, with one being conned out of £130,000 by a person online claiming to be a woman who convinced the victim to keep sending her money.

“This is a despicable type of crime which, we believe, is under reported because people feel embarrassed,” said Detective Chief Inspector Ian Wilson.

“By raising awareness of this type of fraud, we hope people will know the signs to look out for and feel empowered to stop fraudsters taking their money. We also want anyone who has lost money in this type of fraud to report it.

“Our message is, do not feel ashamed. If it has happened to you tell us, help and support is available.”

Reminding the public that “no promising relationship will ever start by sending money to someone you’ve never met,” Det Chief Insp Wilson said, “Fraudsters seek to build a relationship of trust quickly before requesting money giving multiple excuses.”

“Initially, they’ll appear charming and appear very interested in you, but they’ll have multiple excuses for not being able to meet face-to-face. They’ll ask for money to help them sort out their problems, for example medical bills, or to help pay for travel, or some investment opportunity. They’ll promise to repay the money, but the harsh reality is they have no intention of doing so.

“Sadly, for some people who believe they’ve found love online, the stark reality is they’ve been emotionally and financially drained. It’s despicable, really heart-breaking.”

For further advice and information visit www.nidirect.gov.uk/scamwiseni or the ScamwiseNI Facebook page @scamwiseni

You can also call Action Fraud via www.actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040 or police on the non-emergency number 101 or make a report online via https://www.psni.police.uk/report