February 14 may be billed as the most romantic day of the year, but online scammers see it as a cynical opportunity to snare innocent victims.

Police forces and anti-fraud teams across the UK, including the NEBRC are highlighting the risks of looking for romance online at this special time of year, with criminals launching scams on “an industrial scale” to try and lure unsuspecting men and women into fake relationships.

Once snared, the deception deepens and usually ends with the victims losing hundreds if not thousands of pounds. Romance fraudsters aren’t opposed to using famous faces either, with one vulnerable woman recently losing thousands of pounds to a scammer posing as the Hollywood actor Nicolas Cage.

The woman believed she was exchanging messages with the actor on Facebook and lost around £10,000 in the scam. The fraudster behind the account claimed Cage needed the funds for "tax reasons" but he planned to visit the UK.

Reports of romance fraud have soared during the pandemic and Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse for criminals to come out in force. Almost 9,000 cases were reported in England, Wales and Northern Ireland last year - an increase of more than a quarter (27%) on the year before, according to recent police stats.

Some romance fraud victims have been known to re-mortgage homes and take out loans to help their fake partners. They will sometimes be “grooming” dozens of people at the same time, honing down to those they think are most vulnerable and without a close family or friends’ network.

Remember to speak to your friends and colleagues about the perils of romance fraud, helping to give it the cold shoulder this Valentine’s Day and beyond.

Cyber security is a complicated and complex environment. At the NEBRC we work to demystify the jargon, offering free guidance in simple terms and affordable practical help. Contact us directly at: enquiries@nebrcentre.co.uk for information about online risk and fraud.

Signs that the “romance” might not ring true:

• The person claims to work away or has a job travelling so they can’t be contacted easily.
• Be suspicious if the person avoids meeting up in person or taking face to face calls.
• Be extremely wary if they ask for money or funds – they often claim there is a family crisis or tax issue that’s stopping them for accessing their own money.
• Be wary if their account is relatively new, lacks personal details or recent photos, or has a huge abundance of details.
• They often claim to be rich, financially secure and holding a decent job to appeal to more people.
• They may try to rush the relationship, declaring undying love very early on and even proposing.
• Scammers will likely want to move conversations off the dating sites as soon as possible. As soon as they feel like they’ve gained your trust, they will ask for an email or phone number.

If someone is unsure, they can use an online background search service, such as BeenVerified or TruthFinder, to check a person’s credibility without having to confront them about it. You can also check using Google Images to see if the image they are using online has been used in previous scams, or lifted from advertisements etc.