A man who lost £200,000 in a romance scam which he said “almost destroyed my life” has urged others seeking love to be cautious online.
The man from Northern Ireland, who is not being named, was targeted in a fraud over two years from 2020 and 2022 after meeting someone on a dating website.
Last year, some 127 romance scams were reported to the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
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They led to a total reported loss of £1,083,007, with individual losses ranging from hundreds of pounds to more than £100,000.
The man who was previously conned out of £200,000 got his money back after reporting what happened to police and working with his bank, but said the experience had a “devastating impact”.
He said he had felt he was in a genuine relationship with a woman he trusted.
On one occasion the woman told him she had a very wealthy grandmother but needed to borrow thousands of pounds for legal fees related to her will, and convinced him to send her money.
On another occasion, the woman said she had been in a car crash and needed money to help pay her medical bills.
While the pair spoke on the phone a few times, they never met in person. At one stage the women sent the man a link to what police believe to be a fake online banking webpage in order to prove she had money to repay him.
In total the man has said he lost everything he had, more than £200,000, and found himself under severe strain and in debt.
It was at that point that he contacted police, and following inquiries and working with the man’s bank, the money was “recovered in its entirety”.
But he said the incident “almost destroyed me”.
Chair of ScamwiseNI Partnership, Superintendent Joanne Gibson, said criminals can go to great lengths to build a fake relationship in a “devastating and cruel form of deception”.
“Many people use social media and dating sites to find love and meet new people and, while in many cases, situations are safe and legitimate, there are, unfortunately, criminals who take advantage of this and go to great lengths to build a fake relationship. Their sole aim is stealing people’s money,” she said.
“Initially, they’ll appear charming and come across as being really interested in you, but they’ll have multiple excuses for not being able to meet face-to-face.
“They’ll hint at financial troubles and starting asking for money to help them sort out their problems by playing on their emotions. For example, pay for medical or legal bills, help a family member or to help pay for travel, or some sort of investment opportunity. They’ll promise to repay the money but, have no intention of doing so.
“For some people who believe they’ve found a genuine, meaningful relationship, the stark reality is they’ve been emotionally and financially drained. Even if any money lost is recovered, the person is still left to cope with the emotional impact and distress. It’s devastating and is such a cruel form of deception.”
Superintendent Gibson says it’s important people are aware of how to keep themselves and their money safe from scammers who can strike at any time of the year.
“This is a despicable type of crime which, we believe, is under reported because people feel embarrassed,” she said.
“We hope by raising awareness of this type of fraud, people will know the signs to look out for and feel empowered to stop fraudsters taking their money.
“We also encourage anyone who has lost money in this type of fraud to report it. Do not feel ashamed – you are not at fault. You are not alone – help and support is available.”
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
If you have lost money in this way, report it to your bank immediately.