Raising awareness of romance fraud
Did you know that on average five people in Avon and Somerset each week have reported being a victim of romance fraud so for in 2025.
Avon and Somerset Police are supporting Action Fraud by raising awareness of romance fraud and giving people advice about the warning signs to look out for.
This week our fraud protect officers, who are members of police staff that help support victims and provide advice to protect the public, have been out distributing posters in communities to make sure as many people as possible know what to look out for.
What is romance fraud?
Both online and in-person romance fraud involve similar traits with fraudsters inventing fake back stories, creating emotional and urgent reasons why they need money, gift cards or valuables and essentially exploiting their victim under the guise of a romantic relationship.
They often promise a long-term future with the victim, but in reality are only interested in taking their money.
How common is romance fraud?
Romance fraud is one of the most common types of fraud in the UK.
Action Fraud has received 197 reports of this crime type from people living in Avon and Somerset this year already, but we believe the overall number of victims is much higher because people can be reluctant to report what has happened to them.
The most common age of victims in our area is over-60, but adults of all ages have reported such crimes this year. And the areas with the highest number of victims are in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.
Michael’s story
Michael, who is in his 50s and from Somerset, has kindly allowed us to share his story to raise awareness. His name has been changed to protect his identity.
He met a woman via a dating app, who soon asked if they could message via WhatsApp instead. She sent Michael regular photos of her life in London and would video call him, which made it feel like a legitimate relationship.
They talked about moving abroad and starting a life together, and she encouraged him to invest in cryptocurrency to help fund their dream. At least £100,000 was invested by Michael and requests for money continued regularly with him being manipulated into taking out various loans as well as releasing his pension to keep up with the requests for money.
The woman claimed to have a lot of money herself that she had invested in their future life together, but always made excuses why they could not meet in person.
Our fraud protect officers were able to use a reverse image search to show that the person in the images and videos he had received was in fact an overseas television presenter and not who he thought it was.
Advice to stay safe
Fraud protect officer Claire Bounds said: “Michael’s story is sadly all too common. His goodwill and kind heart was preyed on by fraudsters who could have been operating from anywhere in the world.
“Romance fraud is a horrendous crime and it’s often a crime type that people find hard to report because they understandably want the relationship to be true or fear that if they walk away then the money they have invested it will be lost for good.
“Victims sometimes talk about feeling embarrassed but they shouldn’t do. Being a victim of a crime is not a reason to feel ashamed – by reporting crimes to Action Fraud you can get access to support and hopefully protect other people from becoming a victim.”
Romance fraud warning signs
- Asking for any kind of money or financial help, including purchasing gift cards, cryptocurrency and valuables.
- Excuses why they can’t video call or meet you.
- Emotional stories to make you feel pressured to financially help them.
- Declaring their love for you very early on and introducing the subject of marriage.
- Claim to have had the same experiences and values as you, for example if you are religious, they will lie and say they share your faith.
- Grammatical errors in messages.
- Being asked to communicate on another unmonitored platform.
Tips to stay safe
- If sent a photo of someone you have not met in person, put it through a Google reverse image search to see if they have taken it from somewhere else on the internet
- Check their social media profile – if a new profile or do not have many followers/friends or photos then it could be a sign they are not who they claim to be.
- Talk to a friend or family member about it as a fresh perspective may be able to spot something you have missed.
- Never send any money.
- Be aware that video calls can be faked and fraudsters can try to prove their identity with false documents (e.g. passports).
We’d urge anyone who believes they are a victim of fraud to report it to Action Fraud online or on 0300 123 2040.