Romance fraud warning as Yorkshire men are conned by '˜gold and diamond dealer'

One Goole man lost £23,520, a second Goole man lost £700 and a Scunthorpe man lost £2,570, after developing online relationships with the same woman.

After building up an online relationship with her victims, the woman claimed to be travelling to Malaysia to purchase gold and asked to borrow money for documentation, taxes and other unexpected expenses that she claimed would be reimbursed on her return to the UK.

In a fourth case currently under investigation by Humberside Police, a Grimsby woman was persuaded to hand over £2,000 to a man she formed a relationship with via social media who claimed to be an overseas doctor.

Police are warning about the scale of romance fraud, claiming a dating scam is reported to Action Fraud every three hours.

Detective Inspector Rich Osgerby of Humberside Police said: “The impact on those targeted by these criminals should not be underestimated.

“It can ruin lives, both financially and emotionally. Those responsible spend time getting their victims to build up a real emotional bond, so when that trust is broken it can be devastating.

“The financial impact can also be huge. When you take into account that the average amount lost by UK victims of dating fraud is now said to be £10,000, it’s no surprise that many people get into debt.”

On Thursday, the force’s cyber crime experts will be hosting a short Facebook Live event from midday to answer questions about keeping safe online.

A spokesman said: “We fear that there may be many more victims who are either still being scammed or are too embarrassed to come forward.”

West Yorkshire Police have also issued a series of tips for people to keep safe. The force says on-line scammers can target people looking for romance, building up online relationships with their victims and then asking for money and other goods before disappearing off into cyber space.

Detective Inspector Benn Kemp of the West Yorkshire Police Cyber Crime Team, said: “So called romance fraud is particularly cruel and can have a devastating impact on victims simply looking for love.

”As well as the emotional impact the financial cost can be high too – the average amount lost by UK victims of dating fraud is thought to be around £10,000.”Between 2015 and 2016 there were 3,889 reported incidents in the UK, which led to losses of almost £40 million.

“We believe however, that there may be more victims out there with many too embarrassed to come forward and report what has happened.

“I want to urge victims to come forward and tell us what has happened and to not be concerned or worried about coming forward.

“We will do all we can to help and help to ensure others do not fall victim.”

Neil Masters, the national fraud and cyber crime lead for Victim Support, said: “We want to encourage anyone who may have been affected by this to seek help.

“People shouldn’t feel ashamed or embarrassed if they have been tricked in this way. We offer free and confidential support to help people move on with their lives, regardless of whether or not what’s happened has been reported to the police.”

Police’s #DateSafe tips include:

Get to know the person, not the profile. Ask plenty of questions and don’t rush into an online relationship.

Check the person is genuine by putting their name, profile pictures or any repeatedly used phrases and the term ‘dating scam’ into your search engine.

Talk to friends and family about your online dating. Be wary of anyone who tells you not to tell others about them.

Never send money to someone you’ve met online, no matter what reason they give or how long you have been speaking to them.

Don’t move the conversation off the dating site messenger until you’re confident they are who they say they are.

If you’re concerned you or someone you know is a victim of dating fraud, call 101, or report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.