Scammers have a way of manipulating the deepest of human desires. According to a consumer survey around 25% of British adults will at some point sign up for an online dating site. This year, over 600 dating scams were reported in May, June, July 2014 costing victims on average £9589. Action Fraud UK has found that the approaches used by these con artists are becoming more sophisticated.

1. 1 © www.staysafemagazine.co.uk Scam Alerts 2014
StaySafe Magazine Scam Alert Service
New ‘Annual leave’ Online Dating Trick Scammers have a way of manipulating the deepest of human desires. According to a consumer survey around 25% of British adults will at some point sign up for an online dating site. This year, over 600 dating scams were reported in May, June, July 2014 costing victims on average £9589. Action Fraud UK has found that the approaches used by these con artists are becoming more sophisticated. In some cases, victims are told that their potential lover has run out of annual leave. In order to come and visit, they would need to purchase more annual leave from the company they work for. Typical requests are for around £250 per day of annual leave. If payment is agreed, then travelling costs may also be requested. Alternatively, victims are being told that a box containing valuables perhaps gold, money or other valuables has been found at an obscure location but is currently being held in customs. The box contents they claim are going to be used to secure a future between the potential couple. A release fee is requested from the scammer’s target.
Online dating websites are powerless in many respects to these scams. So careful consideration is required by users when speaking with someone -the same attitude should be adopted as if meeting someone in a bar or club. Trust instincts, especially if there is a doubt whether someone’s profile is

2. 2 © www.staysafemagazine.co.uk Scam Alerts 2014
StaySafe Magazine Scam Alert Service
genuine and report it to the site administration team. Additionally, conversations should always take place on the website itself rather than by email or other methods. In one incident, a retired woman named Brenda Parke, lost £60,000 to a scammer who posed as a successful Dutch business man. He claimed that he had just entered the UK with his daughter and his wife had died in recent years. Also, he told Ms Parke that his daughter had been injured in a road accident and needed almost £10,000 to finance the operation. After the former amount was paid, further requests to cover travel fees, accommodation and business endeavours were requested. Ms Parke never met the perpetrator. Ms Parke said, “with great hindsight, I am fully aware of how utterly stupid I have been and I appreciate that there is little, if any, chance of getting my money back.”
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