With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, Australian’s are being warned not to fall for scammers aiming to hit emotional buttons to receive cash, gifts, or personal details.
A new report from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has revealed Australians are losing an average of $75,000 every day to “love interests” asking for gifts and money.
“Sadly, $28 million was reported lost to romance scams in Australia last year by 1,032 people. Of this, 81 people reported losing over $100,000, showing just how financially devastating these scams can be,” ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said.
“We know these figures are only the tip of the iceberg as many victims are reluctant to admit to friends, family or authorities that they fell for a scam.”
Ms Rickard said those looking for love online need to be aware that, while online dating platforms have been used by many to find better halves, there are many scammers willing to prey on people’s vulnerabilities.
“Scammers are experts at preying on people’s weaknesses and will spend months and even years grooming victims and lowering their defences. Inevitably, the fraudster will spin a tall tale about why they suddenly need your financial help, ranging from medical emergencies to failed business ventures to needing to rebook flights to visit you,” Ms Rickard said.
The ACCC, working with the Australasian Consumer Fraud Taskforce (ACFT), including state and territory police and consumer affairs agencies, has created the Scam Disruption Project, an initiative to alert possible victims of fraud.
The official Scam Disruption Project webpage provides five tips to help identify if you are dealing with a scammer:
– You still haven’t seen them or met them
Scammers will often ensure there are always a number of reasons they can’t have a face-to-face meeting. Usually they are unable to meet up because of distance, which is fine, but it’s the consistency that their video chat isn’t working that could ring alarms.
– Dubious images
Scammers usually put up images of other people on their profile. A Google Image search may help reveal if the photos they are using are legitimate, or if they are just stolen from online sources.
– They know you, but you don’t really know them
You have told them plenty about yourself, your interests and passions, but they are simply not as forthcoming. It is important to be mindful of just how little they are actually giving away when it comes to their own details.
– Constantly asking to chat privately
It may not seem like a big deal if they try and steer the conversation away from an online dating platform, but keep in mind that they may want to move away from detection. Many dating websites now have systems that can pick up the patterns of a scammer.
– They want money
Arguably, one of the strongest warning signs comes the second they ask for cash. It may be hard to spot, since scammer can often wait months, even years, before asking for that first transfer to be made.