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Truth or Trap - Romance Fraud |
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Romance fraud involves criminals gaining your trust and forging a relationship with someone they’ve met online and making them believe it is a genuine relationship, before requesting personal information or money for highly emotive reasons such as medical care of transport costs. More often than not, fraudsters use dating platforms or social media to make contact with the victim. They may start by showering the victim with affection or sending gifts before trying to isolate them from friends and family and asking to keep the relationship a secret. The fraudster may also provide excuses as to why they cannot meet in person or video call someone. With technology advances, some images and videos the fraudster use may have been created by AI to try and add another layer of credibility to the persona they’ve built. The criminals do not always ask for money right away. They may spend some time having conversations with the victim before asking for small amounts, but eventually ask for more as the relationship continues to develop. Victims may also be asked to purchase gift cards and send them on as these are harder to track than bank transfers. Some of the key warning signs to look out for include: Asking to take the conversation from the dating apps to private platforms Expressing deep feelings or love for you really quickly Avoiding have a phone call or video call with you Asking to keep the relationship a secret from others Start asking for money to help fund travel costs, business issues or family emergency Our advice is: Never send anyone money unless you can trust they are who they say they are, what they’re offering and their rational is genuine Speak to family or friends if you have any concerns about what someone is asking of you Contact your bank if you have sent money to someone but you now suspect it is fraud Report anything suspicious us by calling 101 or visiting our website. You can also contact Action Fraud online: actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040 For more advice, visit our romance fraud page. | ||
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