Protect yourself from romance fraud

Dating or romance fraud involves criminals manipulating people into sending them money. They will go to great lengths to gain your trust, sometimes over months or years, and convince you that you are in a genuine relationship.

What to look out for

No matter how long you may have been speaking to someone, if you haven’t met someone in person it’s important to be wary:

• if you are encouraged to keep things from your family and friends
• if someone is asking lots of questions about you but not revealing much about themselves
• if you’re put in a time critical situation to send money or share information

How to protect yourself

• be careful of the information you share on social media platforms, fraudsters may conduct research prior to approaching you to make themselves relatable.
• research the person you’re talking to as profile photos may not be genuine. Upload a picture of the person you’re talking to using a reverse image search tool to see if their profile pictures can be found elsewhere online.
• consider staying on the dating website or app until you’re confident the person is who they say they are.
• never send money including vouchers, cryptocurrency or money for investments to someone you haven’t met in person.

If something that doesn’t feel right, STOP!

• break the contact – don’t make any payments or share any more personal information
• speak with friends and family, sometimes a second opinion can really help if you’re uncertain on a situation

Reporting fraud

If you’ve been a victim of fraud, find out how to report it.