Gardai have urged people to remain vigilant ahead of Valentine’s Day after a whopping 86% increase in romance scams last year.
Cunning fraudsters swindled lonely singletons out of tens of thousands of euros, with 70% of the victims being women.
One incident saw a woman, 51, transferring €90,000 to a man she was in an online relationship with for what she thought was a loan for his business.
Another woman, 65, contacted the gardai after she lost €35,000 to a man on social media who convinced her to purchase stream cards and send the codes directly to him, before transferring money to various accounts in Malaysia.
A man, 38, also reported he sent €3,500 via Bitcoin to a woman online who claimed she needed money to return home from Mexico.
Additionally, a 41-year-old woman fell prey to an incident of catfishing by a scammer who claimed to be a well-known musician.
She became romantically involved online and was defrauded of over €26,000.
A garda spokeswoman said these types of fraudsters may try to get their victims to send them money using the following excuses:
• To cover the cost of travelling to see the victim
• For emergency medical expenses for the scammer or a family member — typically a child
• A business opportunity which would allow them to live together comfortably
Furthermore, there is an increasing link between romance fraud and investment fraud which sees scammers asking victims to…
