With Valentines Day just around the corner, Dorset Police are raising awareness of the scourge of romance fraud which has been rocking Dorset during 2024 and now we are in to 2025 with even more people of all ages being sucked in to this very nasty scam. Romance fraud affects men and women of all ages and there has also been a large increase in men as young as 14 reporting being sextorted to Revenge Porn Helpline. Not only does this fraud effect people financially but also their mental health.

How to stay safe online 

Dating scammers are constantly coming up with new tactics, so be vigilant and follow our top tips for staying safe online. 

Do 

• Discuss the people you’re talking to online with your friends or family. 

• Check out their profile using the tools available to you, including reverse image searching. 

• Use reputable dating apps and websites that you have to manually sign up for. 

• Be cautious about opening any links or downloading anything from pop-ups. 

• Trust your gut - if a site seems fishy, get out of there! 

• Report Romance Fraud to Action Fraud: www.actionfraud.police.uk

Don’t 

• Leave the dating app until you are confident that the person you’re talking to is who they say they are. 

• Click on any links they send you. 

• Click pop-up adverts that may say things like “"There are hot singles in your area!" 

• Send compromising photos that could be used to blackmail you. 

• Send any money. 

Think! If you met someone in a café and they kept hiding in a corner when your friends came in wouldn’t that make you suspicious? 

Beware of love bombing! 

Love bombing is a form of psychological and emotional abuse, and is a tactic often used by romance scammers who will go above and beyond to manipulate you into a relationship with them. It looks different for every person, but it usually involves: 

• Excessive flattery and praise. 

• Over-communication of their feelings for you. 

• Showering you with unneeded/unwanted gifts. 

• Early and intense talks about your future together. 

Scammers use love bombing so that, by the time red flags start to appear, their victim will have developed powerful feelings, and will find it very difficult to simply walk away. 

If you think someone may be love bombing you, it may be helpful to create some space between yourself and the other person. During this time, it is normal to experience a flood of different emotions, so it’s important to seek support from family or friends

How to do a reverse image search 

Romance scammers often use fake online profiles with copied photos of physically attractive people. Seeing these enticing images floods victims with feel-good hormones, causing them to lower their guard and making them more susceptible to common tactics such as love bombing (see above). 

It can be difficult to spot, but it’s worth doing a few extra checks when engaging with someone new online. 

Reverse image searches can be carried out via Google Images, YANDEX, Reverse Image Search or Tin Eye. Simply paste the URL of the image or upload a copy of the image into the search engine and the site will help you to identify whether the picture has been used somewhere else on the internet.

Be aware of Artificial Intelligence 

Scammers are using AI and other methods to trick victims into parting with their money or their personal information. 

AI technologies can now replicate images, videos, and voices of people with remarkable accuracy. Deepfake technology, for instance, uses sophisticated machine learning algorithms to superimpose someone's likeness onto another person in a video, which is making it increasingly difficult to spot computer-generated images. 

We’re encouraging anyone chatting to others online to be their own detective. Are their social media accounts brand new? Do they have a suspicious lack of comments or followers? 

Remember, unless you’ve met them in person, you cannot know that the person you’re chatting to is real. 

Have you given money to someone you met online? 

Organised crime groups are behind many romance scams. 

If someone you’re talking to regularly requests money, it’s possible that they’re involved in organised crime and, if you continue to pay this person, you could be funding criminal activity.

They may pretend to be wealthy and successful in investments, encouraging you to invest small amounts of money with a great return. This lures you in so that you invest more and more money until all your money is gone. 

They may even drag you into criminal activities, forcing you to use your bank account to launder money for them.

Sadly, one in five victims will be targeted again. 

If you’ve sent money to someone and believe they may not be who they say they are, report it to police by calling 101 or contact action fraud. 

How to report a scam website, email, text and calls 

Suspicious text messages can be forwarded to 7726, free of charge. 

Scam emails, websites and calls can be reported to the National Cyber Security Centre: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/phishing-scams/report-scam-website