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Good afternoon, We visited a resident in Crewe who had fallen in love with someone that they had met online. The couple had only been talking for a few days, and she had already asked him to send money for her flight ticket to come and visit him.
He told us that he had never felt a connection like this before, she was different, she messaged at any time of the day, and had told him that she loved him just a couple days into talking. She told him about her life, and everything seemed pretty lovely and ordinary. However, when he told us more about her, there were lots of subtle things that didn't add up.
She had only sent one photo, and said that her webcam had broken so she couldn't go on a video call. She also said that she was too shy to talk on the phone, therefore they only exchanged online messages.
They arranged to meet at a supermarket car park in Crewe, she was due to arrive in a taxi after her flight to the UK. She never showed up. He felt devastated, he went to message to check on if she had been delayed, but she had blocked him.
Dating online is now one of the most popular ways for new couples to meet, with millions of people finding new relationships, romance and love this way. However, unfortunately, amongst the genuine profiles are fake profiles set up by fraudsters.
These people are after your money, not your love. They are masters of manipulation, playing on your good nature and emotions to ultimately steal your money.
Valentines day is coming up, and many people don't want to be alone on Valentines. So here are a few tips on how to protect yourself from a romance or dating fraud!
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Keep all communication on the dating website, games or app you are using.
Do your own research on the person - are they members of any other social media networking sites? Can you confirm what they are telling you about themselves, such as where they work or where they live?
Don't be convinced by profile pictures, they may have been taken from somewhere else from the internet. You can check photo's using a reverse image on a website such as https://reverse.photos
Don't let a scammer break your heart or your bank account this Valentines Day.
Stay safe. PCSO Lizzie Jolley 22582 Crewe Police
#crewepolice #pcsojolley22582 | 
