STATE OF ROMANCE SCAMS IN THE UK 2023

-Young Adults Scammed More Than Their Grandparents-

-UK No. 2 Most-Scammed Nation in the World-

-Men Scammed More Than Women-

The United Kingdom has lost more money to romance scams than any country on earth, with the exception of the United States. Nearly 8,000 victims lost €84 million to romance scams in the UK over the past 12 months.

Romance scams are an enormous problem that leaves far too many UK residents heartbroken and penniless. Despite increased public awareness, persistent government warnings and pop culture television shows like Catfish UK and Tinder Swindler, scammers remain successful and have become more sophisticated.

What is a Romance Scam?

A romance scam is when a scammer steals a photo from an attractive person and creates a fake profile on  a dating or social media app to establish a romantic relationship with someone with the intention of defrauding them. The scammer sends affectionate messages and once they establish an emotional connection, they fabricate a crisis and ask for financial assistance for medical emergencies, travel expenses to meet the victim, or other financial troubles.

Methodology

Social Catfish – a company dedicated to preventing online scams through reverse search technology – released this study as part of its mission to prevent people from falling victim to romance scams.

We analyzed data from:

• National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) from 20/10/22 to 20/10/23. (Please note without search filters the NFIB offers 13 months of data)

• Millions of  reverse search users on Social Catfish

• Additional sources are linked throughout the report.

KEY FINDINGS:

UK Teens and Young Adults Scammed More Than Grandparents

Conventional wisdom would suggest that older people – those who are less familiar with technology – would be more easily scammed than their younger counterparts. In the UK, however, the number of tech-savvy teen and young adult victims was shockingly 53% higher than the number of older victims. Over the 12 month period analyzed in this study, there were 3,282 victims ages 10-39 compared to only 2,144 victims ages 60-89. We are also seeing this trend happening in other countries including the US. Social Catfish co-founder David McClellan has attributed this trend to younger people being “overly confident” when they operate online. They think it could never happen to them but it can and it is critically important that citizens of all ages learn how to avoid online scams.

UK Men are Victimized More Than Women

As it relates to the most-scammed gender in the UK, we found anomalies as compared to the international community. Typically, most romance scam victims are women. Many of whom are freshly divorced or widowed and targeted on purpose by scammers who prey on their loneliness. 

In the UK, the data surprisingly shows men are victimized more often than women. In fact, 50% of all victims are men, 40% are women and in 10% of cases the gender was not reported. In this instance, scammers steal photos of very attractive women and seduce lonely men. This is prompting a rise in “sextortion scams” across the UK where victims as young as 13 get tricked into sending nude photos only to then be financially blackmailed to avoid having those photos shared online. 

100 Most Common Photos Used in Romance Scams

Social Catfish released the 100 most common photos used in romance scams. The report warns UK residents to stop interacting with anyone using these photos on dating apps or social media.  The company analyzed data from 10 million users who performed a reverse image search in 2022 to verify someone’s online identity, and then calculated which photos were used fraudulently the most. 

Here is a link to view the 100 most Common Photos Used in Romance Scams 

These are the 10 Most-Scammed Regions of the UK

While romance scams occur all over the UK, certain areas are hit harder than others. Ultimately, regardless of where you live, it is critical to take romance scams seriously. Below we rank the 10 regions of the country that lost the most money to romance scams over the last 12 months. London ranks No. 1 with 1,076 victims losing €15.6 million followed by South East and Eastern.

In addition, we calculated which regions have the highest number of victims per capita to adjust for population size. In this case, West Midlands ranks No. 1 with 20.1 victims per 100,000 residents, followed by Eastern (15.1) and East Midlands (14.8).

How Does the UK Compare to Other Nations?

Scammers predominantly target countries with strong economies and high levels of online activity. Employing this strategy, they can target regions where people have high levels of disposable income and financial resources. 

We compared how romance scams in the UK compare with other top English speaking countries that have good systems in place to track online scams including the US, Canada and Australia.The US ranks No. 1 losing $734 million according to the FBI, the UK ranks No. 2 losing €84 million according to the NFIB, followed by Canada at $59 million according to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and Australia at $41 million according to the National Anti-Scam Center.

Given the differences in population, we also looked at the number of victims per capita in each country. The United States has the highest number of victims per capita, followed by Australia, the UK and Canada. 

5 Common Romance Scams in the UK

1. Investment Scams: Some scammers pretend to be wealthy individuals who are looking for love while also pitching lucrative investment opportunities. They may promise significant returns on investments and request money upfront. Victims end up losing their money and the so-called romance disappears.

• How to Avoid: Consult a third party financial advisor and conduct extensive research before investing. Beware of deals that sound too good to be true. 

2. Sextortion: A scammer will send sexually explicit content to their victim and ask for one in return.  Once received, the perpetrator will threaten to release the photos or videos on the Internet if a ransom is not paid. Boys as young as 13 in the UK are being victimized.

• How to Avoid: Perform a reverse image search to verify the real identity of the person in the photo. See if it matches up with the name of the person you are talking to. 

3. Fake Celebrity Scams: Fake celebrity romance scams are on the rise in the UK. In three recent cases, victims lost money to scammers pretending to be TV chef James Martin, Il Divo singer Urs Bühler, and Take That frontman Gary Barlow.

• How to Avoid: If a rich celebrity asks for money you are being scammed. Fake social media accounts have few followers compared to real accounts. 

4. Military Romance Scams: Scammers may pose as military personnel serving overseas, often claiming to be in dangerous situations. They use this as an excuse as to why they cannot video chat. They create emotional connections with victims and ask for money for various reasons, such as medical bills, travel expenses, or to buy equipment.

• How to Avoid: If the person will not video chat or meet in person it is a scam. 

5. Money Laundering: The scammer will claim to have a problem with their bank and ask the victim to receive funds from a third party and then transfer the money to the scammer’s account. By involving the victim in this process, the scammer can obscure the origin of the funds, making it harder for authorities to trace the illicit activities.party. Unwittingly, the victim can now be charged with money laundering. 

• How to Avoid: Never provide your back information for any reason. 

Where to File a Report if You Have Been Scammed

• Action Fraud: Action Fraud is the UK’s national center for fraud and cybercrime. 
• Your Local Police: They may be able to assist and investigate the case further.
• Citizens Advice: Citizens Advice, a UK-based network of independent charities.
• Bank or Financial Institution: If you’ve sent money to the scammer, contact your bank or financial institution as soon as possible. They may be able to help you recover the funds or prevent further transactions.
• Online Dating Platforms: If the scam began on an online dating platform, report the scammer to the platform itself. They often have mechanisms for reporting and blocking suspicious users.
• Social Media Companies: If the scammer used social media to contact you, consider reporting their profile to the social media company.

Other Critical Steps to Take After You Have Been Scammed

• Cease all Communication with the Scammer: Once you have identified that you have been scammed, do not respond to any further messages or calls, and block them on all platforms. If you have sent money, don’t send any more.
• Protect Your Identity: Scammers may have collected personal information about you during the scam, so take steps to protect your identity. Change your passwords and enable two-factor authentication on all your accounts. Monitor your bank accounts and credit cards for any unusual activity.
• Get Help and Support: Being a victim of a romance scam can be a traumatic and humiliating experience. Most victims never come forward and without seeking help many commit suicide.  Seek help from family, friends, or a professional counselor. Don’t feel ashamed or embarrassed to talk about what happened; remember that you are not alone.

• Be Cautious: Often the same victim gets scammed multiple times. Once a person has been scammed, scammers know they are susceptible so they will approach them in multiple places and ways. It is important to stop giving money and personal information to anyone online that you have never met.