Gardaí have today (Wednesday, June 29) issued a warning to the public following an increase in romance fraud incidents in the country.
Between January and the end of May this year, 31 cases of such deception were reported to An Garda Síochána from 23 women and eight men.
However, Gardaí believe that this type of crime is under-reported by victims so the incident rate could be much higher.
In the cases reported in the first five months of 2022, the average age of injured parties for women is 44 and 47 for men.
Gardaí said that the youngest victim was 27 and the oldest was 69 years of age.
In all cases, except one, the victims encountered the suspect over a dating app or through social media.
Gardaí said that €812,715 was lost as a result of these incidents.
In almost every case, the money was transferred to accounts outside Ireland or to bitcoin wallets.
Fraud
Gardaí explained that fraudsters use false identities and photographs on online dating sites or other social media to provide victims with well-prepared stories which are designed to deceive.
After a relationship has been established, the fraudsters will then ask the victim for money. This will continue until the victim has no more money to give or they realise that they are being deceived.
“This is an international crime type and victims are encountered and exploited online and deceived into transferring money abroad. This is done to ensure the suspects can cash out and to frustrate investigations,” gardaí said.
“This crime often leaves vulnerable people with a feeling of hurt and mistrust in addition to their financial loss.
“In some recent cases we have seen the criminals targeting people with learning difficulties,” they added.
The warning comes as gardaí continue to investigate a large number of money laundering offences.
Earlier this month, the holder of an Irish bank account was arrested on suspicion of romance fraud after An Garda Síochána received a request for assistance from Hungarian police through Interpol.
They were investigating a case where a woman was deceived into sending $4,000 to fraudulent account which was based in Ireland.
Analysis of the man’s account showed that between September 2020 and October 2021, there were 46 suspicious credits totalling €109,880.28 into this bank account from 12 different people in eight different EU countries.
Advice
The Garda National Economic Crime Bureau has issued the following advice to anyone on a dating site or who is in communication with a person they have met over social media:
- Use reputable dating sites and use their messaging service;
- Remember individuals can pretend to be anyone they want to be online;
- Be careful what you share on social media and online dating websites;
- Be wary of anyone asking lots of questions about you but not revealing much about themselves;
- Never send money or give your bank details to somebody you have never met. Do not download apps like AnyDesk at someone’s behest or allow them control over your device;
- Do not send them money or pay for medical bills, purchase flights, or VISAs, pay customs fees or make any payment for them to come to visit you;
- Do not invest your money in any ‘opportunities’ offered by them or anyone whom you only ‘met’ online;
- Never provide copies of your personal documents such as passports or driving licences;
- Never make arrangements or travel to meet them unless you are sure of their identity;
- Don’t be embarrassed about reporting it to the Gardaí;
- If you think you have fallen victim, contact your bank immediately.