Humberside romance fraud victim group set up after lockdown scams rise

Humberside Police said criminals were preying on people's loneliness in lockdown

A victim support group has been set up by police for people targeted by "online romance fraud".

Romance fraud, otherwise known as dating fraud, is when people meet someone online but their "date" is only forming a relationship to get their money or personal details.

Humberside Police said in 2020 people were scammed out of more than £1m and it received 73 reports of this crime.

The support group for victims is the second of its kind in the country.

Julie Butcher, from Humberside Victim Support, said people often feel guilty or embarrassed, and unsure if it was a crime or not.

"Many victims tell us they feel they should have seen what was happening," she said.

"Many are also unsure that it was fraud, even after reporting or ending the relationship."

She added that the support group will provide a place for people to share their experiences.

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Det Sgt Ben Robinson of Humberside Police, said: "Loneliness has been a widely-reported side effect of the pandemic and many people have taken to online dating for companionship.

"Unfortunately, we've seen that this has led to an increase in reports of romance scams and people losing money.

"Romance fraud is one of the most devastating for our victims to deal with because they have suffered losses both financially and emotionally."

A YouGov survey taken during April 2020 also found eight per cent more people in the region spent more time on dating apps since the start of the pandemic.

The survey also found dating apps saw a surge in downloads in Yorkshire and the Humber in that period and police said criminals were taking advantage of people's loneliness.

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