New Stats Out Show That Dating Fraud Up 26% In Last Year

New stats have revealed that Dating Fraud has risen 26% in the last year. The report suggests that the average victim of romance fraud loses over £10,000. The reported losses reported by the victims between  August 2019 and August 2020 total a huge £66,335,239.

The Police refer to the crime as a sophisticated crime with up to 70 per cent of it originating from overseas, often with organised teams of people researching potential victims. The Police and other organisations are running a campaign throughout October to help raise awareness of online dating fraud.

Lockdown has lead to increasing cases of romance fraud due to the fact that restrictions meant people could no longer meet face to face which led to many turning to online dating to form new relationships. The fraudsters used and played upon the fact that due to covid they could not meet in person due to the restrictions in place therefore providing a legitimate reason why they would be unable to meet.

The internet is without a doubt a great way to socialise, interact, meet new people and form relationships however without ensuring that your date has been verified by Safe Dates there is a huge risk of being lured into a romance scam

 Police said popular platforms where victims reported first interacting with criminals committing romance fraud were Facebook, Plenty of Fish, Instagram, Tinder and Match.com.

Safe Dates completely minimises all risks of Online Dating Fraud and we would recommend that anyone looking for love online ensures their potential date is Safe Dates Verified!