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With almost 3,700 reports of cold-hearted cons in 2022, the commission urges singles to watch out.
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Valentine’s Day a focus for $40m in fake romance scams: ACCC
14 February 2023
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The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is warning Australians to protect their single friends and family on Valentine’s Day from becoming one of the victims who lost more than $40 million in romance scams in 2022.
ACCC deputy chair Catriona Lowe said fraudulent actors preyed on the vulnerable at this time of the year, who were often those looking for a significant other on Valentine’s Day.
“Scammers are cold-hearted criminals who use unscrupulous tactics to trick their victims into sharing their personal details and emptying their wallets,” said Ms Lowe.
“As more Australians meet people through social media and mobile dating apps, it has never been more important to be absolutely sure of who you are communicating with.”
“That’s why we are asking Australians to check in with people they love and to help them recognise the signs if a person they’ve met online isn’t real.”
In 2022 ACCC’s Scamwatch recorded 3,698 romance scams, up 8 per cent on the previous year, and almost half involved scammers with fake profiles contacting their victims via mobile apps and social networking platforms.
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“Romance scammers will pull on their victim’s heartstrings to get what they want,” said Ms Lowe. “We know of an Australian woman who lost more than $250,000 after an online relationship with a man who claimed to be an overseas doctor needing money for medical equipment.”
“Distressing romance scam stories are sadly all too common and highlight the need for friends, family, businesses and the community to talk more about scams.”
Signs of a possible romance scam according to the ACCC include:
- They can’t meet in person — the scammer will say they live somewhere overseas or interstate, reasons can vary but the scammer would say they work in roles that require movements or overseas work such as the military, United Nations, or even a doctor.
- They try to evoke empathy — they sometimes present a story of being divorced or widowed with children to gain sympathy.
- They need help with a crisis — once trust and a relationship are established they will commonly ask for money to help with illness, injury, travel costs, or a family crisis.
- Scammers will claim to be financially stable but ask for money — they may need the money to finalise a deal or contract that would result in a guaranteed payment, or they need help getting out of a country to then be able to access their own funds.
- May ask for investment — scammers commonly use romance scam grooming tactics to gain their victim’s trust before then luring them into an investment scam.
Some tactics the ACCC said a romance scammer may try to use include:
- Declaring their love quickly and contacting their victim often, along with sharing evocative personal stories to gain affection and attachment from their victim.
- Try to move their victim away from a dating app to a more private channel such as phone, email, or instant messaging such as WhatsApp, which prevents logs of their interactions from being available to law enforcement.
- Scammers would try to pressure their victims and become more desperate if the victim does not send money straight away, while messages and calls become more desperate and persistent, and even if they had been sent money they would continue to ask for more.
“If you are concerned someone you know could be involved in a romance scam, have a calm conversation with them and ask gentle questions about the nature of the relationship, such as why they haven’t been able to video chat or meet in person,” said Ms Lowe.
“Warn them not to share personal photos or videos as these can be used by scammers to blackmail their victims and tell them to contact their bank immediately if they have lost money.”
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