Stratford-on-Avon District Council's Community Safety is working with Safer Warwickshire partners to share advice about protecting people against the dangers of online romance fraud in the run up to Valentine's Day.
Those who commit romance fraud are experts at manipulating their victims leading to financial, emotional abuse and identity theft. A typical story of romance fraud is as follows:
- The victim believes they have met their perfect partner online or thorough a dating app and starts a relationship with them.
- Fraudsters get to know their victims and gain their trust over time, sharing common interests and creating a false romantic reality.
- They isolate their victims from friends or family and go to great lengths to make the victim feel like they are making reasonable and rational decisions.
- The fraudster will then invent a problem or situation where the victim may be manipulated to feel as if they want or need to send money or gifts to help the fraudster. This may be presented to the victim as medical emergency, money to cover travel costs, paying off a debt, requesting victims to take out a loan in their name, or asking them to purchase gift cards.
- Victims are manipulated to feel as if they are the only person who can help the fraudster, and made to feel a sense of responsibility to do so.
- Once the fraudster has got what they want from the victim, contact is cut, and they delete all traces of themselves.
Data gathered by Action Fraud Claims Advice reveals that the UK public were defrauded of more than £400m in just five years as a result of romance fraud. If you think you've been a victim of a scam, this data shows that it is surprisingly common, and you are not alone. Please contact your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or via actionfraud.police.uk
Sextortion, defined as financially motivated sexual extortion, is a type of online blackmail where criminals threaten to share sexual pictures, videos, or information about a victim. Those who commit sextortion may be doing it for financial gain you or force victims to do something against their will. Anyone can be a victim of sextortion. However, young people aged between 15 to 17, and adults aged under 30 are often most at risk.
Cllr Natalie Gist, Portfolio Holder for Law and Governance at Stratford-on-Avon District Council, said: "We want to ensure all the support is available for those who may have fallen for scams and romance frauds, especially around Valentine's Day. If a resident has been a victim of this particularly unpleasant crime the data shows that they are not alone, and we encourage them to report it. We also wish to assure residents that we are working with the Police and partners to raise awareness so that people can spot a fraudster in order to prevent themselves or a loved one from becoming a victim."
Follow the District Council's Community Safety on X for more information on how to report romance fraud. Find out more about sextortion here.
If you suspect you've been scammed, defrauded or experienced cyber-crime, the Action Fraud team can also provide the help, support and advice you need. Call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 (textphone 0300 123 2050).
Further support for staying safe online can be found here.
