Mersey Reporter - #Merseybites #News

PREDATORY dating scammers may have cost the UK public more than £400m in financial loss across just 5 years, according to Action Fraud reports.

Data gathered by Action Fraud Claims Advice; not to be confused with the national reporting centre, indicates that nearly 40,000 crime reports were submitted between:- January 2020 and December 2024.

Merseyside featured prominently in the data, with just short of 600 reports believed to have come from the region.

Cases up over a 3rd since 2020

In the figures:- 'Merseyside' refers to the area under Merseyside Police’s remit. The area was the source of 92 reports of dating fraud sent to Action Fraud in 2020.

As online only relationships became more commonplace, hastened by lockdown restrictions, reports from Merseyside rose to:- 122 in 2021.

There were then 136 cases shared with the national reporting service in 2022, marking its peak in the:- 5 year period, followed by:- 117 the year after.

Reports of dating scams were sent from Merseyside 124 times in 2024, meaning that there were 35% more cases in 2024 than there were in 2020.

With 591 sent from the Region in total, Merseyside residents were similarly prolific reporters of dating scams to people in Leicestershire (597) and Cambridgeshire (588).

Elsewhere in the nation...

Top of the list is Greater London, with the area covered by Metropolitan Police reporting a whopping 5,168 scams in five years. West Midlands (1,550), Sussex (1,451) and Thames Valley (1,401) were all significantly affected.

Once again, the geographical breakdown proves that there were no exemptions when it came to dating scams. 14 Guernsey residents fell victim to romance fraud, while there were 16 reports from the Isle of Man and 22 from Jersey.

Dating fraud has increasingly become a cause for concern in Devon and Cornwall, with reports in the Region rising by 97% over 5 years.

Other significant jumps in reports came in Cleveland (up 86%) and Nottinghamshire (up 67.5%).

39 of 48 police forces saw the number of reports rise by at least 10% over the 5 year period.

Reports in Northern Ireland and Scotland went up by a third between 2020 and 2024.

Scam victims lose over £10,000 on average

Based on national reports, the financial damage caused by romance fraud is estimated to be a massive £409,749,344; though the true cost could be much higher.

2021 was when report numbers were at their highest. There were 8,678 cases overall, with people reporting a loss of £87,694,153 which works out at £10,105 per person.

While the caseload has not returned to that peak, the 8,548 cases sent to Action Fraud in 2024 is an increase of 465 on the year before and 708 on the 7,840 reports from 2022.

In total, victims of dating fraud are losing nearly 40% more money than they were 5 years ago. The estimated loss, which is based on self reporting, was £66,339,032 in 2020, at an average of £9,884 per report.

Last year, the final figure was £92,215,871, or £10,788 per report.

While Valentine's Day may appear an ideal time for a scammer to prey upon lovelorn members of the public, the data suggests that romance fraud is a year round threat.

Reports between:- 14 February and 14 March only exceeded the monthly average once that was in 2021, when complaints of crime came in at a rate of nearly 27 per day.

Shocking figures show dating scams spare nobody

What is most telling about the data is that no group can be considered safe from romance scams.

Where the victim's gender was recorded, 17,956 (51%) identified themselves as female, and 17,032 (49%) identified as male.

While a victim was more likely to be middle aged, with:- 50 to 59 year olds scammed on 7,393 occasions (followed by:- 40 to 49 year olds, who reported 6,445 crimes), every age group was represented in the figures.

This includes 73 victims aged between:- 90 and 99, and even one victim understood to be at least 100 years old.

Shockingly, 53 victims were aged up to nine years old, and a further 1,472 were under the age of 20.

It is another symptom of a growing epidemic of child exploitation online. The NSPCC reported in September that the need for counselling due to online grooming and:- 'sextortion' has grown significantly.

"Romance fraud is a devastating crime"

Victim Support is an independent charity that offers specialist help for victims of crime, including:- fraud. The charity told Action Fraud Claims Advice that the psychological effect of romance fraud should never be overlooked.

Lisa Mills, Senior Fraud Manager at Victim Support, said:- "Romance fraud is a devastating crime. For victims, it isn't just a question of losing large sums of money. The psychological and emotional impact of being deceived by someone you trusted deeply can knock your confidence and sense of self worth enormously. Sadly, there is so much shame and stigma around romance fraud, with many victims too embarrassed to open up to their friends or family about what has happened, leaving them even more isolated. If you have been a victim, you are not to blame; fraudsters are skilled manipulators who use social engineering to manipulate thousands of people every year. Get in touch with Victim Support for free, confidential support via our 24/7 Supportline:- 08081689111, or live chat service."

The UK Government is hopeful that measures rolled out under the Online Safety Act 2023 will prompt tech firms to help protect the public online, with Ofcom producing its 1st codes of practice and guidance in December.

Fraud is among the:- 'priority' crimes that social media and search services must make every effort to protect users against, according to the Act.

Action Fraud Claims Advice is a new support service that offers free advice to victims of romance fraud. It works with fraud recovery experts who are experienced in helping clients reclaim lost funds.

Victims of dating scams can contact Action Fraud Claims Advice by visiting:- ActionFraud.Org.UK.

Action Fraud Claims Advice is operated by Velasco Limited, and there webdite is not the official Action Fraud website. They are in no way associated with Action Fraud.

If you have been a victim of fraud or cybercrime, you must report this to Action Fraud directly by visiting:- ActionFraud.Police.UK. or call:- 03001232040.