A Scots woman has issued a Valentine’s Day romance scam warning after suffering a suspected heart attack from losing £17,000 to an online dating site fraudster.
The mother, from Glasgow, was admitted to hospital and has been left mentally scarred by the experience of meeting an American professional online who claimed to be working in Northern Ireland.
But the love match turned out to be false after the man began to ask for money following a series of calls and video exchanges last year, not long after Alison had suffered a family bereavement.
Alison, not the woman’s real name, said: “I feel so stupid but I was just trying to do the right thing and be a good person by helping someone out.
“I am not doing well mentally because of all this. It has taken a real toll on me. I was in hospital recently with a suspected heart attack. It is a nightmare.”
Last May, the man told her he was travelling to Northern Ireland and suggested they meet. By August, he claimed his bank account had crashed and asked her for £17,000 to buy machinery for a job. She initially refused but later transferred the money after he sent his bank and passport details.
Soon after, he requested a further £7,000, claiming he was being held by customs and his passport had been taken. Alison, 57, then reported the scam to the police and her bank.
She said: “I have informed the bank and the police, but I feel as if my life is in ruins and I am just left in limbo.
“The app is designed so that women can make the first move and after I ticked that I liked him, he messaged me.
“He was American but said that he would be working in Northern Ireland and he wanted to come to Scotland to meet me.”
She added: “Eventually, after a month or two, he said his bank account had been frozen. He then said he needed cash for some machinery for a job. He kept begging and showed me what looked like legitimate bank details and a passport, so I sent the money. He sent flight times and said he would sort his banking issues and then come to meet me.”
“But then he contacted me again, saying he was being held by customs who had taken his passport. He asked for another £7,000 to give customs officials for his release. I said no, and he sent a voicemail saying he was being beaten and urgently needed the money to be released.
“He has still been contacting me in the last few days. Now I don’t respond and just screenshot the messages.”
Alison is being supported by the charity Advice Direct Scotland and has had to borrow money from friends to cover her losses. The charity has published guidance to help people spot and avoid scammers, who are using female-focused dating apps to exploit and deceive women.
Hazel Knowles, senior project lead at Advice Direct Scotland, said: “Romance scams are a persistent issue throughout the year, but it is important to be particularly vigilant around Valentine’s Day, which can be exploited by scammers who prey on people seeking romantic connections.”
According to research published by Lloyds Bank in 2023, romance scams increased by a fifth (22%) in 2023, compared to 2022. In November last year, Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, said it had removed more than 2 million accounts linked to romance fraud in 2024. And now scammers are harnessing the power of AI to craft sophisticated, emotionally compelling messages and profiles on dating apps in a new wave of digital deceit.
Visit www.scamwatch.scot for information and support.