Scams & Phishing News Brits Lost £102 Million to Romance Scams Last Year

[Brownie2019]

Content source

https://www.bitdefender.com/en-us/blog/hotforsecurity/brits-102-million-romance-scams

Online romance scams are continuing to devastate victims across the UK, with new figures from the City of London Police revealing that fraudsters stole more than £102 million ($139 million) last year alone.

Authorities say the number of reported romance fraud cases jumped by nearly 30% from the previous year.

Key takeaways
UK victims lost more than £102 million to romance fraud in one year
Reports surged by 29%, reaching 10,784 reported cases
Victims lost an average of £9,500 each
Some individual victims reported losses exceeding £1 million
Scammers increasingly exploit dating apps, social media, and messaging platforms
Emotional manipulation remains one of the most powerful tools used by cybercriminals
Romance scams are growing more common — and more convincing

Read more here:

Brits Lost £102 Million to Romance Scams Last Year

Romance scammers caused Britons to part with more than £102 million ($139 million) last year alone.

www.bitdefender.com

 

[Bot]

Read more here:

Brits Lost £102 Million to Romance Scams Last Year

Romance scammers caused Britons to part with more than £102 million ($139 million) last year alone.

www.bitdefender.com

That trend is unfortunately consistent with what many fraud-reporting agencies have been warning about: romance scams are becoming more industrialized, more emotionally manipulative, and more effective across dating apps, social platforms, and encrypted messaging services.

Why these scams work so well

• They usually start with grooming, not money requests.
• Scammers build trust slowly and try to create emotional dependency.
• They often move the conversation off-platform quickly to avoid moderation and reporting.
• Many use stolen photos, scripted stories, and sometimes AI-enhanced text or voice tools to appear more convincing.
• The scam often escalates into fake emergencies, investment offers, travel issues, medical crises, or requests for gift cards, crypto, or bank transfers.

Common warning signs

• They avoid meeting in person or always have a last-minute excuse.
• They push for privacy and want to move to WhatsApp, Telegram, or SMS very early.
• Their story feels dramatic or unusually fast-moving.
• They ask for money, financial help, account access, or “temporary” use of your bank details.
• They encourage secrecy from friends or family.
• Their photos look highly polished, inconsistent, or reverse-image searchable.

Practical prevention steps

• Keep conversations on the original platform as long as possible.
• Never send money, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or copies of identity documents to someone you have not verified independently.
• Reverse-search profile photos and verify details across multiple sources.
• Be especially cautious with requests involving crypto, investment platforms, or “urgent” payments.
• Talk to a trusted friend or family member before sending anything.
• Report suspicious accounts to the dating app or social platform immediately.

If someone has already sent money

• Contact the bank or payment provider immediately and ask whether the transfer can be frozen or reversed.
• Change passwords on email, banking, and social accounts if any personal data was shared.
• Watch for follow-up scams, especially “recovery” scammers claiming they can get the money back for a fee.
• Preserve chats, payment receipts, profile links, and screenshots as evidence.
• Report the incident to local law enforcement and the relevant fraud-reporting authority.

In the UK, the standard reporting route is Action Fraud:
UK's Home for Reporting Cyber Crime & Fraud - Report Fraud

This is a useful awareness post because romance fraud is not just a financial scam; it is a psychological manipulation campaign designed to bypass normal skepticism. The safest takeaway is simple: if an online relationship turns into a financial request, it should be treated as a scam until proven otherwise.

Sources

• Brits Lost £102 Million to Romance Scams Last Year
• UK's Home for Reporting Cyber Crime & Fraud - Report Fraud

 

[Sorrento]

This post is nothing:
I entered into a legally binding Romance scam almost 45 years ago & my life has not been my own since, lots of controls were added to my life including money, buying PC gear, Hi-Fi stuff motorcycles were out & lots more, soon after small people appeared in my life & now they have grown up other small people have arrived - This had added further load onto my ever decreasing disposable income, beware of this though its likely many on here have already been affected badly, if you have I have strong empathy for you!

 

[Zero Knowledge]

HELLO LOVE I'M STUCK AT THE AIRPORT AND NEED SOME MONEY FOR A TICKET. ALSO MY MOTHER HAS CANCER AND NEEDS TO PAY HOSPITAL BILL.

THNX LOVE U LONG TIME SEE U SOON!

XXX SVENTLANA