This in from the police. Ed
People are being warned about the risks of an Internet dating scam after victims on the Isle of Wight lost several thousands of pounds.
Police are providing advice and support to members of the public affected by this fraud, which has targeted Islanders online this year.
Hampshire Constabulary’s Isle of Wight Volume Crime Resolution Unit (VCRU) at Newport police station is making enquiries into the reports.
Scammers target dating Websites
The people responsible for this scam usually operate abroad and visit UK dating websites to target both men and women who are looking for love.
They entice victims by developing a long-distance relationship through the use of fake photos, alluring gifts, and elaborate hoax stories about their personal lives, which are invented to provoke a sympathetic response.
Victims are tricked over the course of several months or even years into thinking they have formed an intimate caring connection with someone online.
The scam then exploits their emotions by asking victims to send money so their apparent partner can resolve a problem and help bring them together in person.
False dilemmas invented to plea for money have included life-saving hospital treatment and an orphanage facing closure.
VCRU Manager Tina Watson said: “Certain members of the public can be extremely vulnerable to this type of scam because they really believe they have fallen in love with someone special. Victims willingly send hundreds or even thousands of pounds abroad before realising they have been fooled by a false sense of infatuation.
“The effect on victims can be devastating with some, elsewhere in the UK, taking their own lives after the debt and emotional problems created by the scam.
“Even when some people realise they’ve been conned, the fraud does not always stop there. Those running the scam can turn nasty and make threats, which seem plausible because they now know a lot of detail about a victim’s personal life.
“Some scams wait several months before contacting victims again, this time pretending to be from law enforcement or private detective agencies. They make false promises of being able to catch the fraudsters and retrieving the victim’s lost money in return for an advance payment.
“The police’s advice to anyone targeted is to be extremely cautious. Do not be tempted into parting with large sums of your own money to help someone you have never met. It may feel like the right thing to do at the time, but similar decisions have left victims facing serious financial and psychological problems because they have been conned by a romantic ruse of lasting love.
“Sometimes the chances of catching the culprits can be remote because these scams usually operate from abroad. Nevertheless, I have been working with a number of victims and making further enquiries into how this scam operates.
“We are acutely aware that telling someone you’re a victim of this type of scam can be embarrassing and upsetting. However, I would like to take this opportunity to encourage anyone affected by these issues on the Isle of Wight to contact the police in strict confidence. Additional information may help us and other authorities to prevent people from falling victim to such a personal and painful scam.”
Anyone with information can contact the Volume Crime Resolution Unit (VCRU) at Newport police station by phoning 101. Mini-Com users can call the police on 01962 875000. From outside Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, call the police on 0845 045 45 45.
