Love rats con 70 lonely people out of £860,000 savings in West Mercia region
More than 70 people in the West Mercia Police area fell victim to dating scammers during the past two years, being swindled out of around £860,000, new police figures reveal.
The figures were released yesterday as police launched a new campaign urging people in Shropshire to be vigilant when looking for love on the internet.
The force revealed that from January 2013 to November 30, 2014, a total of 73 dating scams in the area were reported to police, with the majority being related to online activity.
Police are urging people to use the Smart acronym to avoid being taken in by web-dating scammers
S – Stop and think before you fall head over heels.
M – Make sure you don't reveal too much about yourself.
A – Are they asking for money? Don't fall for 'hard luck' stories.
R – Remember to trust your instincts. Does this person seem too good to be true?
T – Think about how well you really know them? Are they asking you lots of questions but keeping tight-lipped about themselves?
Figures show that the average victim loses £12,000 to the scammers — meaning that in West Mercia the scammers will have swindled around £860,000 out of unsuspecting people.
However, Detective Chief Inspector Sean Paley, from the force specialist operations unit, says the true figure is likely to be very much higher as many people are too embarrassed to report these crimes.
As part of the campaign, police will be advertising on buses throughout Shropshire warning people to take extra care, and officers will also be distributing leaflets in the county.
Mr Paley said that with Valentine's Day approaching there were likely to be more people turning to the internet in search of romance.
He said: "Every year the police investigate cases where unsuspecting people have been tricked out of money, sometimes thousands of pounds, after meeting someone online.
This can be a hugely damaging experience for people, both financially and emotionally, as it often involves a huge abuse of their trust."
Mr Paley said online fraudsters typically took advantage of the anonymity provided by the internet to create the 'perfect profile'.
"He or she then builds a rapport with their victims, making promises to tempt them into letting their defences down, before asking for money. The requests for cash often come in the form of 'hard luck' stories, preying on the good nature of victims," he added.
Tony Neate, of the Get Safe Online website, said: "There's nothing better than meeting someone special and falling in love and online dating sites are a great way to do this, but we need to make sure this doesn't make us complacent about our online safety.
"Not everyone you speak to will be a fraudster but there are some people out there looking to exploit our trust.
These figures showing the money lost to romance fraud are shocking, but the personal way in which people are targeted means the violation often goes far beyond monetary value.
To avoid being a victim try to be open about your new relationship – tell a friend about your conversations and if you're planning to meet up with someone in case they spot any red flags you have not noticed."
