PSNI: Romance fraud costs Northern Ireland victims £866,700 in 10 months

More than £866,000 has been lost to romance fraud in Northern Ireland in the past 10 months, according to figures released by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), as officers issue a warning ahead of Valentine’s Day.

The PSNI confirmed that between April 2025 and the start of February this year, around 100 reports of romance fraud were made to police, with total financial losses amounting to £866,700.

Around 100 reports made to PSNI

Chief Inspector Boyd, from the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Economic Crime Branch, said:

“Between April 2025 and the start of February this year, there were around 100 reports of romance fraud made to the Police Service of Northern Ireland. The total loss of £866,700 includes life-changing sums of money.”

The warning comes as many people prepare to celebrate Valentine’s Day this weekend, a period when online dating activity often increases.

Police described romance fraud as a “cruel and very personal” crime, committed by criminals who target individuals seeking companionship and relationships online.

Victims lose life-changing sums

In one case reported to the PSNI, a victim lost more than £40,000 after meeting a fraudster online. The relationship developed over time before the individual was persuaded to transfer money on multiple occasions, either by sending funds directly or by purchasing gift cards and passing on the codes to the scammer.

In another report, a victim is believed to have met a fraudster on a dating site and the relationship developed over a couple of months before the scammer convinced them to transfer money on three separate occasions, totalling around £15,000.

Police said the total losses recorded include “life-changing sums of money”, highlighting the significant financial and emotional impact such scams can have on victims.

Common tactics used by romance fraudsters

Chief Inspector Boyd continued:

“Fraudsters will seek to build a relationship quickly with the victim, to chat or text away from the dating site or app you first met them on. To do this the criminals use some common tactics such as inventing stories in order to pull on the heart strings of the recipient.

“The following steps can help protect you against romance fraudsters:

• Conduct your own research on the person you’re speaking to, checking their social media presence to see if it matches what’s on the dating site. Looking at key details such as name, location and family members can help identify inconsistencies in what you have been told.

• Profile pictures can be deceiving and be taken from anywhere on the internet. You can use various websites to check photos using a reverse image search to prove if the photo is legitimate.

• Never EVER send money to someone you haven’t met in person. If you’re looking for friendship, companionship or love online it should never start with being asked for money, and if it does, it’s not a relationship worth having.

“Fraudsters don’t care about gender, sexuality, age or race. Fraudsters target everyone, our message is, do not feel ashamed. If it has happened to you report it to us, help and support will always be available.”

How to report romance fraud in Northern Ireland

Anyone who believes they have been a victim of a scam is urged to report it to police on 101 and to contact their bank immediately.

Reports can also be made online at www.actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040. Information and advice is available at http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/scamwiseni or via the ScamwiseNI Facebook page @scamwiseni.

Police are encouraging members of the public to remain vigilant when forming relationships online and to seek advice if they have concerns, particularly as Valentine’s Day approaches.