The building society is warning that around three in 10 people in the UK who feel lonely are at risk of falling victim to romance scams. This particular type of fraud involves people striking up online relationships, which never leads to them meeting their partner, in which they are conned out of their hard-earned cash. Due to the pandemic and social distancing, more and more people are being marked by romance fraudsters, according to Nationwide.
Specifically, young people have become increasingly isolated and lonely in the past two years which has led them to turn to online dating, making them most at risk.
In a recently published survey by the building society, it was revealed that four in ten people aged 18 to 34 believe their mental situation is leaving them prone to this type of scam.
Some 25 percent of young people polled by Nationwide, who have experienced loneliness or social isolation at least once a week, have been targeted by a scam.
In comparison, the average across the UK is 21 percent. Out of those who admitted to being a victim, eight percent said it was a romance scam.
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As a result of this, Nationwide has launched a Scam Checker Service, which is available to customers over the phone or at their local branch.
Ed Fisher, the head of Fraud Policy at Nationwide Building Society, outlined how these romance scams operate and how customers can avoid falling victim to fraudsters in…
