According to new data from Action Fraud, UK individuals were victims to 8957 dating scams between 1st Jan 2021 to 1st Jan 2022, which collectively cost them over £96.8 million pounds.
This is a major rise on the previous year, with the data showing that there were only 644 reports of dating scams between 1st Jan 2020 to 1st Jan 2021, which cost their victims over £5.4 million.
These figures show that dating scams are becoming the attack of choice for fraudsters today, and that UK consumers must be vigilant for them this coming Valentine’s Day.
Dating scams typically involve a scammer tricking someone into a phony online romance. These fraudsters will target vulnerable people through dating sites, pretending to be legitimate users looking for love, while duping them into handing over money and other valuable items.
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