Over £1,000,000 lost to romance scams in NI in 2024
PSNI urging people to be vigilant ahead of Valentines Day
Last updated 13th Feb 2025
It has been revealed £1,083,007 was lost to romance fraud across Northern Ireland last year.
The PSNI has released the figures ahead of Valentines Day, to highlight this type of crime.
12\7 cases were reported here between January, 1 and December, 31 2024 but police believe there could be many more.
Chair of ScamwiseNI Partnership, Superintendent Joanne Gibson said: "Many people use social media and dating sites to find love and meet new people and, while in many cases, situations are safe and legitimate, there are, unfortunately, criminals who take advantage of this and go to great lengths to build a fake relationship.
"Their sole aim is stealing people's money."
“Fraudsters seek to build a relationship of trust quickly before requesting money.
"Initially, they'll appear charming and come across as being really interested in you, but they'll have multiple excuses for not being able to meet face-to-face.
"They'll hint at financial troubles and starting asking for money to help them sort out their problems by playing on their emotions.
"For example, pay for medical or legal bills, help a family member or to help pay for travel, or some sort of investment opportunity.
"They'll promise to repay the money but, have no intention of doing so.
"For some people who believe they've found a genuine, meaningful relationship, the stark reality is they've been emotionally and financially drained.
"Even if any money lost is recovered, the person is still left to cope with the emotional impact and distress.
"It's devastating and is such a cruel form of deception.”
Superintendent Gibson says it's important people are aware of how to keep themselves and their money safe from scammers who can strike at any time of the year:
"Fraudsters don't care about gender, sexuality, age or race.
"They target everyone.
"This is a despicable type of crime which, we believe, is under reported because people feel embarrassed.
"We hope by raising awareness of this type of fraud, people will know the signs to look out for and feel empowered to stop fraudsters taking their money.
"We also encourage anyone who has lost money in this type of fraud to report it.
"Do not feel ashamed, you are not at fault.
"You are not alone, help and support is available.”