ROMANCE FRAUD – A VITAL IMPORTANT READ
Sevenoaks Mums talks to Steve Kelly (Fraud Prevent & Protect Officer at Kent Police) and Gagan Hayer (Scam’s Project Officer at Citizens Advice in North & West Kent) about Romance Scams and the work that they are doing to raise awareness in our area.
Tell us a little bit about what you are doing to raise awareness of Scams in general
Citizens Advice in North & West Kent run local scams awareness projects with the aim to create a network of confident and alert people who are #ScamAware. We have teamed up with Steve, Fraud Prevent & Protect Officer at Kent Police, to reduce the impact of scams as well as give people the knowledge and confidence to take action against scams.
We are talking more specifically about ‘Romance Scams’ why?
Action Fraud reported a loss of £68 million to romance scams in 2020, and Tessian’s research found that 55% of romance scam victims are female. We know from our advice service and previous scams awareness project that scams can have a devastating impact on women, leading to financial loss and very low self-confidence. Our aim is to reduce their impact, empower women with the knowledge to take action and increase confidence in talking about it.
What is a romance scam?
A romance scam is a fraudulent activity where someone (a criminal) deceives you into a fake “relationship” and steals your personal information and/or money.
They do this by gaining your trust over a period of time and by quickly declaring that they have strong feelings for you. Ultimately, their end goal is to steal your personal information and/or money for their own financial gain.
These criminals, known as romance scammers, will usually be found on online dating websites/apps but can also be found on social media too. Typically, they will mention working in a reputable job that involves them living abroad such as a soldier or similar respected job.
How do you recognise a romance scammer?
Romance scammers are very sophisticated, therefore it’s important to watch out for the following tell-tale signs to protect yourself:
- You’ve only met the person online and not in-person– they may be hesitant or come up with excuses as to why they are unable to video call you or meet you in person.
- Quickly declare strong feelings for you– they may mention how they ‘love’ you and want to spend the rest of their life with you, despite having just met you.
- They ask a lot of personal questions but do not share anything about themselves– be wary if they begin asking questions such as “What was the name of your primary school?” or “Who was your favourite teacher?” as these are often security questions for online accounts.
- Are they asking you to send them money for an emergency issue they are facing? – Whether it is a small or large amount, if you’re making payments especially regular payments, then stop, don’t send money to someone you don’t know.
If you are experiencing any of the above, you could be talking to a romance scammer.
How can you avoid romance scams?
You should always remain vigilant and alert of any new person you meet online, even though most people are genuine, some are not. Here are some tips on how to avoid romance scams:
- Don’t rush into an online relationship –you have all the time in the world, go at a pace you feel comfortable. If you feel you’re being rushed, let them know how you feel and if it still persists then gain advice from a trusted person and remain alert.
- Don’t overshare your personal information with someone you don’t know– especially if you feel uncomfortable or if they seem to know more about you then you know about of
- Do your research– if the dating profile is ticking all the boxes and looks too good to be true, check to see if the person you’re talking to is on other social platforms. If they aren’t you could be talking to a potential scammer. Check any pictures, they may have stolen someone else’s identity
- Ignore it, if they tell you to keep anything a secret– always speak to a trusted friend or family member as they will genuinely care for you and want what’s best for you.
How can you protect yourself when dating online?
Regardless of whether you are dating online or not, it is always good to be vigilant and scam aware. This information could prove to be useful to someone you know and/or your future self.
- Choose a reputable dating service– make sure you do your research and read the reviews to find out what other people’s experiences were. This will help you understand whether that website/app is right for you.
- Check to see if the profile is genuine – are they on other social platforms? Do they seem to tick all the boxes? If so, it could be a scammer!
- Video call the person before meeting them in-person– if you’re having any suspicions or simply want to see them, try and video call them to clear away any doubt and validate whether you are talking to the same person in the profile
- Tell a family or family member before visiting someone you’ve met online for the first time and where you are going
How can you protect your personal details and money online?
The covid-19 pandemic has caused an increase in digital consumption – more adults are online than ever before. Criminals have exploited the pandemic resulting in an increase in coronavirus-related scams.
It is so important sto protect your personal details and money online especially where we are so reliant on digital means to carry out everyday tasks such as shopping online to communicating with our loved ones.
To minimise risks, you can protect yourself in the following ways:
- Create a strong password for all your online accounts, using a combination of letters, numbers and special characters
- Don’t do your online shopping and banking using public WIFI
- Install and update security software on your digital devices
- Don’t publicly share your personal details on social media platforms
- Before purchasing online, read reviews to find out what previous purchasers have said about it. Use a credit card to receive buyers credit card protection of payments between £100 – £30,000
What to do if you think you have been scammed?
If you’ve been scammed by a romance scammer, you can take the following steps to protect yourself from the situation getting any worse:
- Protect yourself from further risks & Report the scam
- Ignore the scammer. Do not share any further information or transfer any money.
- Report the profile to the dating website/app
- Report the scam to Action Fraud online at police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040
- Immediately contact your bank, if you’ve lost money due to a scam
- If you’ve transferred money in the last 24 hours, contact the Police on 101
- Gain advice from Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133
- Keep a record of your conversations and any transactions, this will help when reporting the scam
- Check if you can get your money back
- Immediately contact your bank, if you’ve noticed unauthorised payments leave your account.
- Some banks have signed up to a voluntary code covering authorised push payments. A push payment, is a type of fraud, whereby people are manipulated into sending the scammer money.
For further information, please visit our ‘What to do if you’ve been scammed’ page.
How can you keep up to date about romance scams and scams in general?
By staying up to date about scams, you can stay ahead of the game and become aware of scams that are out there. This will not only help protect you but the people you care about. Action Fraud, the National Fraud & Cyber Crime Reporting Centre, regularly provide information about the latest scams on their website here.
You can also join the Kent Fraud Alert System, who send out weekly scam alert emails,. fFor further information email KFAS@ecis.police.uk
At Citizens Advice in North & West Kent, we regularly raise awareness about scams on our Facebook and @CANWK1 Twitter platforms.
Kent Police regularly post the latest scams and handy tips on their Twitter platforms, follow @KentPoliceECU and @KentPolice
Fraud prevention advice:
- Take Five: takefive-stopfraud.org.uk/advice/general-advice
- Action Fraud: actionfraud.police.uk
- CIFAs: cifas.org.uk
- Kent Police: kent.police.uk/fraud
- Protect Kent: @kentprotect on twitter
- Kent Cyber Team: @kentpolicecyber on twitter
You can also find out more about scams on the Citizens Advice website here.
Slider image Photo by Fausto Sandoval on Unsplash
Author: Helen Loder
Co-Director of Sevenoaks Mums