Romance scams are experiencing a surge, with many linked to Facebook, and they are conning millions from love-seeking Britons. The average financial hit is around £4,500, with victims spanning a wide spectrum of income groups and ages—from youngsters at 18 years old to seniors aged 93.
Santander UK has unveiled alarming new data that indicates romance scams have escalated over the past six months, with a staggering £3.8 million defrauded from its customers, marking a 27 percent upturn from the previous half-year period. In what appears to be a response to contemporary digital-age solitude, scammers find fertile ground to exploit individuals’ trust, according to the bank’s insights.
These crafty cons use stolen online images to lure people into fabricated relationships, eventually presenting heart-wrenching tales of monetary woes to extract money. Peter Staffell, a behavioural expert working with the bank, and Paul Gorton from BBC’s The Traitors have collaborated to probe why despite nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of the population believing themselves scam-proof, people are still falling prey to these tactics.
Mr. Staffell commented: “Scammers are experts at presenting themselves as someone you can trust, someone who ‘gets’ you.”
He added, “They play the long game, building a relationship before executing on their scam and, as our research shows, it’s a natural instinct for many of us to willingly lend a financial hand to someone who we have formed an emotional bond with. Scammers are experts at presenting themselves as someone you can trust, someone who ‘gets’ you.”
“They play the long game, building a relationship before executing on their scam and, as our research shows, it’s a natural instinct for many of us to willingly lend a financial hand to someone who we have formed an emotional bond with. Then they’ve gone. The scam is complete, and the impact extends far beyond the financial losses, leaving emotional scars and often people feeling more isolated than before. You can take control though, a few simple checks when you first start to speak to someone, and before your emotions take hold, can reveal a lot about the person you’re speaking to and save heartache further down the line.”
According to the bank’s research, over half (55 percent) admit to feeling lonely at some point. A third (31 percent) say they would use social or online forums to meet new people to combat feelings of isolation and a similar number (33 percent) believe they can form a deep emotional connection with someone simply by speaking online.
The bank warned: ” Unfortunately, this creates an opportunity for scammers and half of Brits (50 percent) have received unsolicited romantic or flirtatious messages online, which they either suspected or turned out to be scams. Facebook and Instagram have become hunting grounds for the ‘romantic’ scammers, with more than two-thirds (72 percent) of the suspicious messages received on these platforms.”
The bank highlighted that once an emotional connection has been formed, the scammers can execute their plan, with nearly a third (29 percent) of people saying they would offer financial support to a romantic partner they’ve known for less than six months.
This figure soars to over half (58 percent) in cases where the relationship has surpassed the six-month mark. Scammers’ requests for money have varied significantly, citing reasons from medical expense support to simply desiring a gift.
Paul Gorton remarked: “In my experience, it’s surprisingly easy to build deep trust, especially when someone is charming and says all the right things. As we start to feel a connection, whether it’s real or not, we can end up overlooking red flags and ignore any warnings from others around us.”
He continued with advice, “Stay vigilant to spot a traitor, it’d be too easy if they simply messaged you out of the blue asking for your money. Approach any new relationship with cautious optimism, complete checks and having your wits about you at the start.”
To highlight the perils of falling victim to romance cons, Santander has whipped up a poem akin to something by William Shakespeare, brought to life through a dramatic performance by Paul Gorton. This is now up for viewing on Instagram here.
The crafted verse underscores typical ploys employed by these swindlers, making it clear that although the words may warm your heart, they could very well be part of a dangerous ruse.
Protecting yourself from romance and friendship scams 101:
Try to keep emotions out of your decision-making process. Be extremely cautious if you’re considering lending or giving money to someone.
Regardless of how pressing their reason may appear, it’s crucial that you take the time to think it through. We always recommend discussing it first with a trusted friend or family member.
You can verify if the person you’re communicating with is genuinely who they claim to be. Images can be manipulated, and fake profiles can be easily created.
Conducting a reverse image search on an internet search engine can reveal whether the photos have been sourced from another website or social media platform. It’s a warning sign if the individual you’ve been interacting with online refuses to video call or meet you in person.
Scammers will often make excuses as to why this can’t occur or alter plans to do so at the last moment. Never transfer money or provide card details, online account information, or copies of significant personal documents to anyone you’ve only met online.