Disclaimer: The names in asterisks (*) were changed for privacy.

In the digital age, looking for love and companionship has transcended the traditional boundaries of physical interaction.

This led many people to explore the uncharted waters of online dating.

While the internet has successfully matched countless couples, it has also become a breeding ground for deception and heartache.

Karen* shared her cautionary tale, echoing the experiences of many who were left not only emotionally shattered but also financially devastated.

Karen's story began after a promise of love from a man who claimed to live overseas.

After weeks of conversation and building trust, her online beau asked if he could borrow $50,000 to fund his education.

Trusting that she was helping her partner, Karen compiled and sent the money.

Karen* believed she was helping her online partner with their education, but ended up losing a huge sum of money. Image Credit: Pexels/Andrea Piacquadio

As Karen set out overseas to meet her online partner, he never showed up and duped Karen both emotionally and financially.

The toll of such scams is immeasurable, and Karen's situation is just one of many reports.

South Australia Police (SAPOL) Cybercrime Division's Sergeant David Mitchell warned about these romance scams.

'Scammers typically create fake online profiles designed to lure you in,' Sergeant Mitchell shared.

Some of these scammers assume the identities of real individuals living abroad.

'They have even been known to phone their victims as a first introduction. These scams are also known as "catfishing",' he added.

As part of Scams Awareness Week, SAPOL also shared that South Australians alone lost about $2.1 million in 2023 through romance scams.

Australians, in general, have been swindled out of more than $40 million through the same scheme.

According to additional data, these scammers often target people over 55 years old and reach out to them via social media or dating website platforms.

Romance baiting is a technique where scammers cultivate a relationship before luring victims into fraudulent investments.

Telltale signs of these scams include swift declarations of love, promises of commitment, excuses for malfunctioning webcams, and postponed meetings.

Scammers also tell their victims what to tell bank tellers to avoid suspicion.

Authorities advised not to send money to anonymous online accounts.

They also reminded citizens about maintaining a healthy scepticism and making decisions without emotional influence.

Always verify the identity of an online admirer through image search and be wary of inconsistencies in their stories.

Lastly, stay cautious with personal information and do not give them out to anyone.

The rise of online dating has expanded the horizons for finding love, but it also increased the risk of falling victim to scams.

It's essential to approach online relationships with caution, awareness, and a strong sense of self-preservation.

Key Takeaways

• An Adelaide woman named Karen lost $50,000 to a romance scammer who she met online.
• Romance scams cost Australians $40 million in 2023, with South Australians losing $2.1 million.
• Scammers often target older individuals over 55 and create elaborate stories to ask for money.
• Police advised to never send money to someone you haven't met in person and conduct an image search to verify online identities.

Have you or someone you know experienced a romance scam? Share your experiences and online safety tips in the comments below to help others recognise the warning signs.

 

[Babbie]

just say to them ...you send me $100 and I will send back $200, ...if they do keep it !,....what sort of creep would have the audacity to ask someone he/she has never met to send them money how rude...

Scammers would have the audacity. They are criminals with no moral compass.

 

[Barbara V]

Oh dear won't people ever learn. If you are lonely there are clubs,groups for seniors and other active events run either through your shire like Share and Care communities or even church and independent groups

 

[Mikeyboy2012]

As soon as these people ask for money then you know it is a scam. I received a friend request from a so call army Sergent in Siria, this is what the individual was claiming. After day two of messages the individual asked, "could I send a $100.00 cash card" so he could contact his son in the UK. The individual claimed that they could not get a $100.00 a cash card where they were located and needed to contact his son urgently. I told the scammer exactly what I thought of them. I defriended them and cut the contact immediately.

Good on you Kevin. Right move!

 

[Colette 3799]

It's best not to ever allow someone you don't know to be your 'friend' on Facebook. It's interesting and sometimes funny to check out their profiles though. Most of those I get have photos of nice looking older men. But they have no recent posts, just photos, and if they do, all are done on the same day. I recently had one with a photo of Barry Dubois and in the photos, another of him talking to Miguel Maestro! With a different name of course but the scammers just lift the photos and create a fake Facebook page. Obviously they did not know those two are tv personalities in Australia. They just throw out the line and hope to catch a few fish. It's a disgusting scam. Don't take the bait!

I agree,I never friend a person who I don’t know personally. I check out the profile pages of people who recommend products on Facebook and you can tell straight away they are not real - they’re laughable

 

[Veggiepatch]

Scammers are getting more stupid and desperate. Yesterday, I received an email from a myGov clone which originated from <[email protected]>.

Gannett publishes USA TODAY along with hundreds of local media outlets across the United States, and over 150 news brands in the United Kingdom.

A joke of the highest order!

 

[mylittletibbies]

Why accept friend requests from people you don't know. That's just asking for trouble.

I don't need to worry about scams and friend requests from strangers I just don't have a Facebook account
Simple.

 

[Kevin. A.]

It's best not to ever allow someone you don't know to be your 'friend' on Facebook. It's interesting and sometimes funny to check out their profiles though. Most of those I get have photos of nice looking older men. But they have no recent posts, just photos, and if they do, all are done on the same day. I recently had one with a photo of Barry Dubois and in the photos, another of him talking to Miguel Maestro! With a different name of course but the scammers just lift the photos and create a fake Facebook page. Obviously they did not know those two are tv personalities in Australia. They just throw out the line and hope to catch a few fish. It's a disgusting scam. Don't take the bait!

I post some of my art on my Facebook page and I receive friend requests from many other artists. I now look at the person's profile page and look at how many posts, and when those posts were created. Most scammers create a page with few if any posts. However, some of these scammers have changed tactics by creating a dozen or more posts. I now look at the dates they were posted. I find most of these scammers post articles a day or a few days apart, this is a red flag. I often see two or three posts per day over a few days just to try to give the perception of a well-established Facebook user.

 

[Kevin. A.]

I don't need to worry about scams and friend requests from strangers I just don't have a Facebook account
Simple.

The thought has occurred to me also.

 

[Reet]

II have just had an email supposedly from myGov Team which is another scam as it came from ASSAS which was sent to "undisclosed recipients" These people must think we are all stupid:


You have a new payment update in your myGov inbox

Click here to view and update refund details

Regards,

myGov Team.

 

[Judi-Ann]

I have never put a photo of me on my FB account although a couple of times I have had friend requests from randoms on a site I am a member of because they claimed they liked my comment on something, have just blocked, deleted and reported them to the group administrator. The only people I have on FB are those family members and friends who live hundreds of miles away from me.

Those Amercan friend requests are scams. Just delete them.

 

[Judi-Ann]

II have just had an email supposedly from myGov Team which is another scam as it came from ASSAS which was sent to "undisclosed recipients" These people must think we are all stupid:


You have a new payment update in your myGov inbox

Click here to view and update refund details

Regards,

myGov Team.

Same here ...just deleted as I always do.

 

[Phillip Giunta]

Ask them to send you the same amount of money first, as a token of trust.

If they bring up an excuse like "but I don't have the money, that's why I ask", then tell them that it is your firm requirement, not negotiable.

Have a little fun at their expense.

Yes. 100%

 

[mylittletibbies]

Ask them to send you the same amount of money first, as a token of trust.

If they bring up an excuse like "but I don't have the money, that's why I ask", then tell them that it is your firm requirement, not negotiable.

Have a little fun at their expense

To ask someone who wants you to send them money to send you money first makes no sense at all.
Why would you waste your time playing stupid games with a scammer .

 

[Parrot]

Surely one would be surprised not to mention suspicious when approached with the subject
about Money .. the Red Flag goes up when I see a suspicious TX OR E -M I just DELETE & ignore
Just be on your guard at all times it’s the best one can do.

 

[CliffE]

We should hire The Beekeeper, Jason Statham will fix them good and proper.

 

[magpie1]

A person very close to me has been scammed out of a lot of money, believing she is helping a musician who is well known this scammer has convinced her he we marry her and no matter what we tell her she still believed this man loves her and will marry her. He is 30 years younger and it’s not the musician who is scamming her but someone claiming to be him Her husband died a few years ago and they had no children and she gets lonely an easy target

Maybe you should show her the responses given here today in order to show her what will continue to happen to her and her money if she continues.

 

[Jest]

another one bites the dust. who in their right mind gives $50,000 to a stranger. I get very lonely but me and my money will never be parted to an idiot. I just can"t believe the stupidity of some. To put in up for all and sundry to read, do they not have any pride. do not use the excuse of loneliness.

 

[Chicky]

A person very close to me has been scammed out of a lot of money, believing she is helping a musician who is well known this scammer has convinced her he we marry her and no matter what we tell her she still believed this man loves her and will marry her. He is 30 years younger and it’s not the musician who is scamming her but someone claiming to be him Her husband died a few years ago and they had no children and she gets lonely an easy target

I know there men and women out there that get very lonely have no family etc.
But there is also a lot of clubs , groups and places you can go for company. These don't cost a lot either .

 

[deni67]

It's all well and good to tell these victims to go and join a group, club, or maybe volunteer, but a lot of these people don't, or can't leave their houses so their computers are all they have for company.
Iv'e lost count of the amount of people, both men and woman, that I have "dobbed" into Facebook, all a person has to do is go to reverse image search on Google, put the persons image in and wait for the real person to pop up, if you can contact them to let them know someone has stolen their images to use as their own then do it!

Iv'e been talking to a guy from Tennessee for the last 9 years, nearly every day.
We've called each other on the phone and even face timed so I know he's real, but he has never once asked me for money, in fact in the last month or so my partner and I have been forced to try and find a new house to live in because our landlord isn't renewing our lease next month, being both on disibility pensions it's almost impossible to do and some of the rents are way out of our budget and with what is going on with me right now with the cancers in my body I can't do a thing to help. Well this amazing man in Tennessee has offered US money, $1500 US to be exact, which is about $2300 AU, and we don't have to pay it back! Of course I said no but he keeps asking..
My own personal experience with online dating was a positive one, back in the old MSN chat room days I met a guy that lived in Far North Queensland and I lived in Perth, we spoke everyday and fell in love, then one day his mate told him he was driving to Perth and did he want to come, he jumped at the chance, packed all of his stuff up and came over. I was very nervous because I had sort of catfished him, I told him I was only 5 years older than him but really I was 10 years older, he laughed about it lol..
So to cut a long story short, we both moved to Adelaide where I had family and have been living in unwedded bliss for the last 23 years!

 

[Suzy A99]

Loneliness is no excuse for stupidity. There is so much information about scammers, and to be careful of something that looks suspicious, and never send money to people you don't know. I'm sorry, but I can't feel sympathy for someone who was willingly duped. Surely there had to be a niggle of doubt in her mind. Where was her commonsense?