Subscribe
Australian police are warning that thousands of people are at risk from a relatively new version of an online scam, targeting the lonely and dateless. The police say they have detected an increasing number of men and women being lured into online relationships by Nigerian fraudsters, posing as potential romantic partners.
As St. Valentine’s Day draws nearer, the “Romance scam” exploits Dating site members, by gaining the trust of their victims, and then requesting money for emergencies such as an operation or flights. Afterwards, when the fraudsters think they have drained the victim, they “dump” them, and move on to someone else.
Australian police estimate it could affect thousands of people every day, and costs the victims an average of AU$35,000 each. In Britain, the online scams industry is said to make £3.5 billion a year.
The romance scam is the latest tactic in a line of confidence tricks that have originated in Nigeria, where the notorious ‘419’ scams began. In a 419 scam (named after the relevant section of the Nigerian Criminal Code) people were persuaded to part with relatively small sums of money, expecting a substantial payoff later, but which would then never materialise.
In this case, fraudsters tend to target middle-aged members of niche dating sites, where it is easier to tap in to the victim’s interests. However, Police have often been amazed by the amount of time and effort that has been invested by the criminals in building their online romances; victims having even received phone calls and photographs from their fake romantic partners.
According to Australian police, there are several signs to watch out for:
- It won’t happen until the fraudsters think they have their hooks in
- The first thing will always be a request for money, and the money will always have to be sent in cash
- It will normally be preceded by a tragic event, such as a mugging, a bankruptcy or a car accident etc.
- One of the other key words to look out for is “Nigeria”
Apparently, it can often be quite difficult to detect a scammer. And, Dating sites are somewhat reluctant to highlight the problem, since it could generate bad publicity.
Posted by Jonathan in Miscellaneous