AN ADVICE charity has issued a scam warning to lovestruck Scots as Valentine’s Day approaches.
Advice Direct Scotland has launched a ‘Romance and Companionship Scams’ campaign -ROMCOM for short – flagging up the seasonal tactics used by scammers to manipulate the public into handing over cash or personal details.
The campaign covers bank transfer fraud, ‘love bombing’, blackmail, and other manipulation techniques that people closer to the scams may misunderstand or misinterpret as displays of affection.
It follows the release of the new popular Netflix crime documentary ‘The Tinder Swindler’, which tells the story of conman Simon Leviev, who used the dating app to scam women out of hundreds of thousands of pounds after posing as the son of a diamond billionaire.
Colin Mathieson from Advice Direct Scotland said: “The Advice Direct Scotland Romance and Companionship Scams campaign will look at the tactics employed by scammers who exploit situations of isolation and loneliness of their targets for personal gain.
“This is not only from a romantic perspective, but will also look at other methods employed, including scams perpetrated by family members, and fraudsters posing as them, for example through WhatsApp scams.
“People who have been targeted by romance scams can experience embarrassment about being scammed, but it is important to note that this could happen to anyone.
“If you believe you have been the target of a romance scam, you should contact your bank in the first instance if financial details have been shared, or money has been transferred.
“You should also contact the police to report the situation.”
Find out more about the campaign, and the help available from Advice Direct Scotland, at consumeradvice.scot.
Public finance minister Tom Arthur said: “I welcome the work Advice Direct Scotland is carrying out to highlight the risks associated with romance and companionship scams.
“By following advice from Scotland’s consumer advice service, people can better spot signs of fraud and avoid being taken advantage of.”
