Mature dating site users are more likely romance scam targets
(PRWEB UK) 1 April 2016 -- The number of people falling for online dating scams is growing at an alarming number. Online dating fraud in the UK cost victims a heart-breaking £27 million last year, according to the latest stats from the City of London Police’s National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) and Get Safe Online.
Studies show that as people age, ability to decipher deceit declines, people have to be even more vigilant to protect themselves against online fraud.
Older-dating.co.uk user, Isobel, who’s 62, from Hampshire unwittingly got involved with a Romance Scammer. “After only a few messages, he asked me if I had an email address he could contact me on. Soon after, he asked for my phone number. He got very personal, very soon, frequently calling me “Darling”, telling me that he wanted to spend his retirement with me and constantly sending me messages. The situation just didn’t feel right, and on telling him that I didn’t want to carry on the conversation, he asked me to lend him money. Had I continued to communicate with him on the dating site, I would have rapidly realised that he had been marked as a scammer and removed from the site only hours after he first messaged me, saving me time and anxiety!”
Watch Isobel’s full account: http://older-dating.co.uk/tv/dating-diary-week-2
Over 2,700 online dating related crimes were reported to Action Fraud over 12 months with the average loss standing at £10,000. However, the actual number of crimes is thought to be considerably higher, with victims not reporting them owing to embarrassment.
Almost two thirds (62%) of all victims are aged between 40-69 accounting for £16 million of the total losses. People aged between 50-59 are the most likely victims accounting for a quarter of all frauds and losing just over £6 million.
City of London Police’s Commander Chris Greany, the Police National Coordinator for Economic Crime said: “Romance fraudsters are using every method available to exploit people looking for love. These heartless criminals will specifically target those who they deem to be vulnerable and most likely to fall for their scams. People aged 50-59 are the most likely to become a victim of dating fraud and therefore need to be especially careful when going online in search of a partner.”
Ben Hitchens, Director of mature dating site, Older-Dating.co.uk says, “over 40s take communication offline too soon, which is the biggest no-no in online dating safety. Some people don’t realise that a large proportion of an online dating subscription fee will be used to operate a moderation team. Moderation teams check messages that are sent to and from accounts using highly intelligent, specially developed software which flags suspicious behaviour. Our moderation team stops 100s of potential criminals week after week before users even open their inbox.”
Hitchens added, “we urge each and every member to keep communicating to other members through our dating site for as long as possible so we can protect them for longer.”
View online dating safety tips: http://older-dating.co.uk/tv/dating-diary-week-2
ENDS
Older-Dating.co.uk is a leading UK online dating website for the over 40s, backed by many relationship experts across the globe. It provides a safe and secure environment for divorcees and widowers to meet online and find love. Please visit http://older-dating.co.uk/tv/dating-diary-week-2 for the full statement, the exclusive safety tips video, and a full account of Isobel’s encounter with a real Romance Scammer.
Lucy Clarke, Older Dating, http://older-dating.co.uk, +44 7584198555, [email protected]
Share this article