Ever since its release on Netflix in 2022, millions have watched in disbelief as Simon Leviev, aka Shimon Hayut, aka The Tinder Swindler conned multiple women he met online out of millions of dollars. However, romance fraud isn’t a far-fetched subject of a true crime documentary: it’s already happening everywhere, and it’s on the rise.

A record £104 million was lost to romance scams in the United Kingdom last year, up from £68 million in 2020 and according to an analysis by TSB, dating sites are “riddled with scammers.” The bank reported that it has refunded fraud victims, ranging from 18-years-old to 77, with female customers making up 66% of the cases it analysed.

The scale of romance scams dramatically increased due to the pandemic and cost of living crisis, when communication was moved predominantly online. As a result, the number of romantic scams increased by almost a quarter, with an average of 65 victims every day worldwide, according to internet security site Surfshark’s figures.

“My practice has doubled in the past two years,” Louise Bennett, civil fraud and asset recovery partner at Keystone Law, tells Stylist. “Sadly, when times are difficult, fraudsters become more desperate for money, and so their scams increase. This coincides with a significant increase in users of dating apps, and so honey traps are now unfortunately very common too.”

What is romance fraud?

“Romance scams are a form of phishing, often referred to as ‘honey traps,’” explains Alexander Valentij, chief information security officer at Surfshark.

“While this scam is often associated with specific services’ activities, where the simulation of romantic or sexual interest is used to extort important information from the victim, it is also very often used as a tactic to extort money.

These attacks usually target people who are psychologically weaker or going through a more emotionally difficult period in their lives, and can therefore result in the embezzlement of extremely large sums of money at a time,” he says.

Ahead of Valentine’s Day, Valentij warns that internet users should be “extra vigilant” about new acquaintances, as well as taking care when buying gifts online and signing up for dating apps.

How to spot the signs of romance fraud

Though we may consider ourselves savvy internet users, romance scams – and fraud schemes in general – have become extremely sophisticated in recent years.

“Fraudsters can be very sophisticated and so it is difficult to spot, but users of online dating apps need to take extra precautions to ensure that they are talking to a real person,”  advises Bennett. “Check out their identity, their history, and online profile, and do not be pressured into lending any money to these individuals.

“I have acted in cases where money has been given as a gift (the easiest fraud to spot) but other victims have thought they were purchasing products/shares, or investing into a business opportunity. In short, dating apps should be there to enable people to meet like-minded people with a view to a romantic connection. Money should not be involved. If there is any request for payment of any type, it is most likely to be a scam in my experience.”

Dating app Tinder now offers advice on how users can protect themselves from romance scams, highlighting ‘red flags’ such as quickly asking to leave the dating service to communicate directly and emphasising financial obstacles they are facing.

“Figuring out who prefers to pay the bill at dinner is one thing, but being pulled into someone’s personal financial woes or needs is another,” official advice from its website reads. “If this happens, particularly early in conversations, it may be a sign of deeper deception.”

Tinder suggests its users to ask questions of their matches, looking out for inconsistent facts and stories, or vague answers to very specific questions. It suggests considering running a reverse image search on profile pictures you suspect could be fake to see if it’s used elsewhere on the internet. 

“Your intuition is your greatest wingman,” it says. “Always use your best judgment, and if something doesn’t feel right, block and report.”

Tinder, and other similar services, often have built in fraud-fighting features to help protect users, including reporting tools, profile verification and advanced machine learning systems that can identify patterns and ban bad actors before they are able to interact with anyone.

“If someone approaches you on Tinder requesting money, please report them immediately,” the app says, “If you’ve come into contact with a scammer, you’ll likely select “fake profile” as the reason for reporting. Tinder will take it from there.”

However, it warns that the risk isn’t contained with online communication. “Even meeting in real life requires some vigilance,” it stresses. “Some scammers are actually skilled con artists who are adept at earning trust quickly. These individuals may paint a picture of an ideal life in the future, but ask for access to your financial resources today while they wait for red tape to clear on their investments or business dealings.”

What to do if you think you’ve been the victim of romance fraud

“Online fraud is also difficult to spot, it is faceless, and can be difficult to trace, so it is a preferred methodology for scammers,” says Bennett.

“If you suspect you are a victim of fraud, you should immediately notify the police, and Fraud Action Group,” she explains. “Both agencies can open an investigation but are unlikely to be able to recover stolen monies. Speak with a solicitor who specialises in fraud, who can take immediate steps through the courts to freeze assets and seize stolen money back for you.”

If you think you’ve been a victim of fraud, contact your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud online at police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040.

Images: Getty