Woman loses £14,500 after falling for Facebook romance scam
A woman who was scammed out of £14,500 by a Facebook fraudster has spoken out in a bid to stop others going through the same thing.
Mary, whose name has been changed, joined a group for fans of a popular film, where she was approached by a stranger called Bill.
The two quickly bonded and moved their conversation over to WhatsApp, where the topic shifted from film to finances.
The story, shared by Lloyds Bank to raise awareness of romance scams, sees Mary fall into Bill's trap as he told her that his bank account had been blocked.
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Mary, who had spoken to Bill over the phone, began sending him small amounts of money and gift cards in an attempt to help him out.
However, Bill took the situation to another level when he claimed that his daughter was seriously ill and needed money to cover the cost of her treatment.
Mary was sent photos which supposedly showed Bill's daughter lying in a hospital bed and was apparently put in touch with the doctor caring for her.
Convinced, Mary sent £14,500 to an account of Bill's choosing.
It was only when Bill asked her to take out a loan to send more cash that Mary began suspecting a fraud was at hand.
Sharing her concerns with her daughter-in-law, Mary was then told she had been the victim of a romance scam - an operation in which a scammer builds a 'romantic' connection with their victim.
Lloyds Bank, who shared Mary's story, estimate that the average victim of such a scam loses around £8,234 and that victims are often aged between 65 and 74.
Victims are usually targeted via social media sites such as Facebook or dating apps like Tinder, where the scammer will often ask to move the conversation to WhatsApp or other private messaging apps.
Once they've built a connection with their victims, scammers will then divulge details of a personal crisis - expensive medical bills, a struggling business or legal issues.
Although they will often ask for smaller amounts of money whilst building trust, scammers will gradually increase the amount of cash they ask for.
Liz Ziegler, the fraud prevention director at Lloyds, said: "The sad truth is there was never any genuine connection, with criminals ruthlessly targeting multiple victims at the same time, and disappearing with the money as soon as they get found out.
"While online dating should be a fun and empowering experience, it’s vital that people are able to spot the warning signs, to keep both themselves and their loved ones safe.
"If you’ve started an online relationship and the discussion turns to money – regardless of the reason or the amounts involved – then alarm bells should be ringing.
"Never send money to people you’ve never met in person, no matter how much you’ve spoken online.
"Talking to a real-life friend or family member can be a good way to sense check what’s going on."
Ben Thompson