Victim loses £35,000 after meeting someone on dating site
04.10.2023 - 06:35
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A victim lost £35,000 after meeting someone on a dating website - with police now issuing an urgent warning about romance fraud scams.
Greater Manchester Police have reported that last week, nine romance fraud cases were reported across the region, with leading detectives warning potential victims of how crooks use dating apps and websites to scam people out of their money.
Fraudsters are said to deploy different tactics to 'create a sense of urgency' in order to 'make the victim respond quickly by creating a sense of panic'.
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In one instance, one victim was scammed out of £35,000 after meeting somebody online through a dating site.
Detective Sergeant Stacey Shannon of GMP’S Economic Crime Unit, said “This week is romance fraud awareness week. Online dating can be exciting, but please remember that fraudsters are out there and they use these sites as a way to commit their crimes.
“Half of all romance fraud victims are contacted on dating sites and the other half on other social media platforms, chat groups and in person. Our team of fraud protect officers and volunteers will be out in Greater Manchester to provide advice to protect our community.
“Victims of romance fraud often feel shame and embarrassment but here at Greater Manchester Police we want victims to know that this crime is treated very seriously.”
Sharing advice on how to avoid being scammed, Greater Manchester Police said potential victims should be 'wary' of revealing personal information about themselves online and reminded them that 'anyone can pretend to be anyone' on dating sites. They also