Women swindled out of £110,000 in 'devastating' romance scam
The PSNI are warning that romance scammers "target everyone" after a woman was swindled out of over £100,000 in a fake cyptocurrency investment.
The woman lost £112,000 after being convinced to invest money in a crypto scheme. She was promised quick returns.
The profits never came through, and the woman lost all of the money she provided to the fraudster.
The scam started on a dating app and PSNI Superintendent Gerard Pollock warned that this is a "common tactic" for this type of fraudster.
They "will then seek to build a relationship quickly," said Pollock, and then use stock backstories of "deceased partners, single parents working away from family" as they look to create trust with their victims.
“Soon enough they will present you with a great investment opportunity they have made money from or an emergency requiring a short term loan of money which they promise they will pay back," Supt Pollock continued.
"However, they do not intend to do so because they do not exist. All they wanted was your money and to get as much of it as possible."
The PSNI and ScamWiseNI Partnership are advising people take steps to keep themselves safe from scams, including:
Always keep communication on the dating website or app you’re using. Many have inbuilt security and assistance. They also take steps to remove and ban fake accounts so you’re safer there.
Carry out your own research on the person, checking their social media presence to see if it matches what’s on the dating site. Looking at key details such as name, location and family members can help identify inconsistencies in what you have been told.
Profile pictures can be deceiving and be taken from anywhere on the internet. You can use various websites to check photos using a reverse image search to prove if the photo is valid.
Never Ever send money to someone you haven’t met in person – If you’re looking for friendship, companionship or love online it should never start with being asked for money even to invest, and if it does it’s not a friends or relationship worth having.