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May 13th, 2024
Catfishing or romance scams have become part of the United Kingdom and global vocabulary in recent years.
Well-known TV programs such as MTV’s Catfish (which aired in the UK) and Netflix’s Tinder Swindler have gained a global audience by highlighting how scammers exploit individuals seeking love on the internet, leaving them emotionally shattered and financially ruined.
Yet despite the increased awareness, new data found the British people lost a record (€)102.6 million to dating scams in 2021 according to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB).
With all this publicity, how is it that romance scammers can continue to trick love-seekers out of money? As with all criminals throughout human history, sometimes it can seem like they are always one step ahead. Instead of simply asking for money, which is an old hat, romance scammers have upped their games to involve money laundering and cryptocurrency investments, among other tactics.
To try to help people understand the current landscape of dating scams in the UK in 2022, we analyzed data over the last 13 months from the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB), as well as trends from United Kingdom users on socialcatfish.com.
Below we share the insights gleaned from our analysis including:
- A breakdown of where in the UK romance scams are happening the most and least.
- What the newest romance scams look like in 2022
- Tips to avoid romance scams and what to do if you have been scammed
- LEAKED New Nigerian Romance Scammer Bible: “How To Make White Woman Fall In Love From Online Chat”
What Are Romance Scams?
There are many people that go onto dating apps and scroll their social media platforms on a daily basis. A lot of these people are looking for love and will do whatever it takes to find that special companion. However, romance scammers are increasingly appearing on these apps looking to find their next victim.
These romance scammers – the majority of which hail from Nigeria – have this down to a science and are proficient at making innocent victims fall in love fast and hard.
They know just what to say to make the victims feel wanted and loved. The victim, blinded by the euphoric feeling of love, does not notice how fast things are moving nor the countless times a romance scammer refuses to video chat with them or meet them in person.
Once the romance scammer talks to them for a few weeks, they start asking for small amounts of money for things like groceries or to pay a bill.
But as time passes, they start asking for big amounts of money for work or financial emergencies. Since COVID-19, they often ask for money for medical emergencies and, of course, they always need money to be able to travel to come to see the victim.
The romance scammer continues to ask their victims for money until the victim either realize they are being scammed or simply no longer have a penny to their name.
Once the well runs dry, the scammer blocks the victim. Some victims have lost millions of dollars and others have committed suicide.
One thing is certain, most victims are too ashamed to come forward, meaning the actual number of losses in the UK are likely far higher than what is being reported.
Below we rank the most catfished regions of the United Kingdom to see who is being more impacted by the alarming and growing trend.
Most scammed Regions of the United Kingdom
Most Scammed Age Groups By Region
One of the issues with romance scams that have long been discussed is the vulnerability of specific age groups. Below please find the most scammed age groups in each region.
Young People Scammed More Than Their Elders
It is a commonly held belief that young people are less likely to be scammed online than their elderly counterparts due to the fact that they have more experience on the internet as a consequence of growing up surfing the web, but this seems not to be the case. Young Adults ages 20-29 represent 16.34% of the number of people scammed, whereas elderly ages 60-69 and 70-79 make up only 14.16% and 9.15% respectively. It is theorized that young people are scammed at a higher rate because they are more trusting of the strangers they meet online.
Exclusive: Nigerian Romance Scammer Playbook
Social Catfish has exclusively uncovered the main script used by most Nigerian romance scammers which we post below. They often pretend to be successful in business, overseas doctors, or military members stationed far away. Below you can see how it works and download the full playbook. This is helpful for online love-seekers to read in case they start seeing similar things being said to them they can know it is a scam.
The scammer’s playbook is a script that the boss will give to their scammer employees to operate from. The playbook has romantic phrases, conversation starters, and questions that will make vulnerable love-seekers feel cared for.
Click the Links Below to Download the Scammer’s Playbook
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FIRST FOLLOW-UP MESSAGES
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE MESSAGES
Why Do Nigerian Romance Scammers Do This?
Their goal is simple. To get their hands on as much of their victims’ cash as possible.
In certain parts of Africa, you can live very well off of $1,000 per month. Therefore, even if a romance scam gets a victim to send them a $100 gift card, that money goes very far for them. If they happen to get a victim to send them hundreds of thousands of dollars, imagine what that would do for their quality of life.
However, while it may be slightly tempting to feel bad for their situation, the scammers have bosses – heads of criminal enterprises that are often dangerous and violent people. They use this money to live their best lives – buying nice cars, clothing, and jewelry and to conduct more criminal activity.
The employee romance scammer does not keep the money and does not see the boss as a bad guy, but as someone who is successful in business.
Romance Scams Have Increased Due to the Coronavirus
Romance scams were on the rise even before the Coronavirus. However, the coronavirus pandemic accelerated the trend. Especially in the beginning, when people were forced to isolate themselves at home, an unprecedented number of people in the UK turned to online dating.
Many people became bored and lonely as they tried to find ways to cope with being forced to stay at home. One way that people have tried to cure their loneliness is by creating online dating accounts, hoping to find their future significant other. However, scammers flood these dating apps and pretend to be someone they aren’t in order to lure their victims in.
5 NEW ROMANCE SCAMS IN 2022 AND HOW TO AVOID THEM
1) Celebrity and Social Media Influencer Scams: Scammers create fake profiles, often
stealing the likeness of an attractive and successful celebrity or ‘influencer’ and engage
in dating scams where victims do not have their guard up. A survey conducted by Social
Catfish found 86% of influencers have seen an increase in fake profiles made in their
likeness since the pandemic began.
How to Avoid: Do a reverse image search to confirm if the person in the photos goes by
the same name as the person who friends requested you on social media.
2) ‘Money Mules’: More romance scam victims are being tricked into money laundering
and facing prosecution. The scammer claims to need to wire money to a family member
in trouble overseas but says their bank is having issues. They ask the victim for their
bank account information to receive the money and then wire it overseas. This victim
has not committed money laundering. The scammer also has their bank information for
additional identity theft.
How to Avoid: Never provide your bank account number or routing number to someone
you meet online offering to send you money via wire transfers.
3) ‘CryptoRom’: Cryptocurrency-related romance scams are on the rise. Scammers gain
the victim’s trust, and instead of asking for money, they convince them to invest in a
bogus crypto app and steal their money that way.
How to Avoid: Never invest money with anyone you meet online. If you want to invest
in Crypto, use well-known Apps like eToro or Coinbase.
4) Teens Targeted on Tik Tok: Teens are tech-savvy but feeling ‘love’ for the first time is an
overwhelming emotion. With social development hampered by COVID-19 in recent
years, romance scammers are increasing their presence on social media sites like Tik Tok
and Instagram.
How to Avoid: Teenagers should never send money or give personal information to
anyone they have not met in person. Parents need to talk to their children and vice
versa as romance scams now impact every generation in the family.
5) Gift Card Scams: This is the standard romance scam but instead of asking for money,
which theoretically could be traced back to a bank account, they ask for gift cards which
are untraceable.
How to Avoid: If your online love interest asks for a gift card, that is a huge red flag.
SIGNS YOU ARE TALKING TO A SCAMMER
Scammers have common tactics that they use to manipulate people into sending large amounts
of money. Here are general signs that the person you’re talking to is a romance scammer:
1) Their profile has high-quality content but few followers
2) They have poor grammar.
3) They make excuses for why they can’t video chat.
4) Their voice doesn’t match their images.
TWO BASIC PRINCIPLES TO AVOID DATING SCAMS
As we have outlined above, romance scammers have gotten more creative in the way they
approach potential victims. But no matter the angle they take, if you adhere to these iron-clad
principles, you can most likely avoid becoming a victim.
Never share personal information. Never give your personal information to anyone you meet
online including your social security number, bank account information, address, mother’s
maiden name or birthday.
Never send money. If you haven’t met them in person, never, under any circumstance send
their money.
What to Do If You Have Been Scammed
Once a person sends money to a romance scammer it can be very difficult to get back. First, the
scammer often resides in other countries which means law enforcement does not have
jurisdiction.
While there is governmental cooperation, much more coordination will need to take place to
put an end to these scams. In addition, if the money was paid in the form of gift cards or
Cryptocurrency, it is virtually impossible to trace.
If you believe you are the victim of a romance scam, here are 4 steps you can take
1) Report it: Report it immediately to Action Fraud or call 0300 123 2040.
2) Contact your bank: If you paid through your bank account, call them and request that
the payment is canceled immediately. If you believe your account has been
compromised, update your account information and passwords. Do this across all
websites you frequent.
3) Tell friends and family, find a support group: Most romance scams go unreported
because victims are embarrassed. Keeping it to yourself can lead to mental health issues
and even suicide. Reach out to loved ones for support. You can join online support
groups such as our Facebook community the SCF Seekers.
4) Report it to the online platform: To help the next potential victim, report it to the social
media or dating app platform where the scam originated to have their profile taken
down.
Social Catfish is Here to Help You!
