No love lost on online dating scams

Tāmaki Makaurau - Millions of dollars a year are being swiped by scammers taking advantage of those looking for love online, NZ Police say.

Police are receiving a consistent stream of reports from people who have been scammed by a person they have met online via either a dating website or a dating app.

Those who carry out romance scams are experts at what they do and will seem genuine, caring, and believable. Unfortunately, they are present on most dating platforms.

Police are aware of a repeat pattern of events across all reports, where the scammer typically moves the conversation from a reputable dating site to WhatsApp and quickly professes their love and admiration for the victim, before revealing they are a wealthy businessman or military staff who are based overseas.

Once trust has been gained, they request financial assistance from the target.

The method of payment request depends on the proficiency of the victim, detective senior sergeant Chris Allan of Auckland’s financial crime unit says.

If the victim is able to open a cryptocurrency account, then buying and sending cryptocurrency preferred method of transmission, he says.

“Our investigations indicate that those who perpetrate these romance scams are predominantly based offshore.

“They are typically organised criminal networks who are scamming multiple victims at once.

“To keep their story on-track when engaging with multiple people, they use the same profile.

“Police often see the same photo used over and over again, with a different generic name, pedalling a similar story about their fraudulent background.

We have repeatedly seen the same stolen image used on doctored New Zealand drivers licences.

“We are advising everyone to be wary of any online approaches where something might seem amiss. Some red flags to be aware of:

• “People who always have excuses about why they can’t meet in person or even video call
  

• “Working on oil rigs, in the military or working overseas

• “People who seem to always have a sob story such as a child or family member is sick, and there's always a degree of urgency

• “We advise those looking for love online to be wary of who they are speaking to. Be careful what to post and make public on the internet

• “Scammers can use details shared on social media and dating sites to better understand and target someone

• Research the person’s photo and profile using online searches to see if the image, name, or details have been used elsewhere. Beware if the individual seems too perfect or quickly asks to leave a dating service or social media site to communicate directly

• If the individual attempts to isolate a victim from friends and family or requests inappropriate photos or financial information that could later be used for extortion

If anyone believes they are the victim of a scam they can contact police and report the matter via 105.