Romance fraudsters stole £119.6m in 2025

Report Fraud received 12,093 reports of dating scams in the past 13 months, with losses totalling £119.6m.

A dating scam, or romance fraud, typically occurs when you enter into an online relationship with a fraudster posing as an imaginary person. After grooming you over a period of days, weeks or months, the fraudster will begin to ask for money for completely fictional reasons, and ask for more and more over time.

The National Crime Agency estimates that only 14% of fraud cases are reported. But given the emotional impact of romance fraud, it's unlikely that the Report Fraud database gives a true picture of the volume of cases and total losses that occurred last year.

Read on to discover the typical signs of a romance scammer and what to do if you think you've been dating a scammer.

1. An entirely online relationship

Meeting someone online is normal. What’s not, however, is the relationship existing entirely online and you never meeting up with them in person, not even via a video call.

This should raise a red flag, especially if a significant amount of time has passed. Romance fraudsters typically use stolen images of real people, or increasingly, AI-generated images to pretend to be someone they're not, so this should be treated with suspicion.

2. Using stolen images

Fraudsters carry out romance scams by creating fake personas, and part of that persona involves images of real or fake people.

Which? has conducted previous research which found victims whose pictures had been used countless times in romance scams to lure in other unsuspecting victims.

With AI scams on the rise, scammers are also generating entirely fake images of people to use in their schemes. 

You can use Google image search to trace images of people to other places on the internet, or a tool like TinEye – just upload the screenshot and see if the image belongs to someone else.

• Find out more: how to spot AI-generated image scams.

3. Overly dramatic stories

Anyone that you’re speaking to online who always has something devastating happen to them – from losing access to their bank account to experiencing several bereavements to having their home burgled – should raise alarm bells.

During the grooming process, fraudsters will attempt to elicit empathy from you by telling you sob stories in an effort to extract money from you at a later date.

This is also done to build an emotional connection with you, making you more likely to provide financial help when they ask.

4. Offering investment opportunities

Once they've earned your trust, the scammer may change the conversation using claims that they can help you make easy money through exclusive trading offers or investment opportunities. 

5. Asking for money or gifts

This is typically the end result of the scam. Eventually, when the scammer has you convinced that you're in a real romantic relationship, they’ll use one of their stories to persuade you to part with your money.

Sometimes, fraudsters will ask you for several amounts of money over time under the guise of various fake scenarios.

Alternatively, the scammer may ask you to move money for them by using your bank account to transfer money into and then out of again. This is a form of money laundering where a scammer uses 'money mules' to move illicit cash.

What to do if you've been targeted by a romance scammer

If you think you could be speaking to a romance scammer on a dating app or a social media website, you should report the profile to the platform using its in-app reporting tools.

You may find you need impartial support too, both Mind and Victim Support offer support services for those affected by these crimes.

If you lose any money to a scam, call your bank immediately using the number on the back of your bank card. You should also report it to Report Fraud (formerly known as Action Fraud) or call the police on 101 if you’re in Scotland.