Initiating a love affair with someone with the purpose of cheating the person out of money is a crime called ‘Romance Scam’. Romance scams affect both women and men of all ages.
In 2021, 1,143 romance scams were reported. On average, victims lost SEK 350,000. In the vast majority of cases, initial contact was made via social media or dating sites/apps, in instances of so-called Catfishing.
What Is Catfishing?
Catfishing means that a person creates a fake social media profile, or some other social network. They use images of a completely different person and come up with a story about themselves that is often far from reality. These fake profiles can have goals that range all the way from an innocent pursuit of affirmation to widespread, organised crime with the goal of embezzling large sums of money.
Common Fraudster Profiles
The fraudster often pretends to be an English-speaking man who is abroad in the service. There are several variants of this: military in Afghanistan, doctors in Syria, etc. The relationship quickly becomes intimate and often the fraudster and their victim will have contact several times a day.
The Warning Signal – a Sudden Need for Money
The relationship can last for a long time before the question of money comes up, but it certainly will, sooner or later – with the need always being sudden and urgent. In the beginning, it may be a small amount, but as soon as a payment is made, several expenses and additional need for money arise.
A Romance Scam Can Continue in Other Forms
After the relationship has ended, in some cases the victim can be contacted by someone who offers to help them get their money back. This is also a scam, as the victim is asked to pay a fee to get help – without any help coming.
There are several high-profile cases of romance scams and a Netflix documentary on this phenomenon called ‘Tinder Swindler’. It depicts how the fraudster Simon Leviev subjected women to financial and emotional scams by making them believe that he was their friend or boyfriend. Women from all over the world, but especially from the Nordics fell victim to his scams.
Digital scams such as romance scams are on the rise and it’s hard not to worry. Though you might hesitate to be active in the digital world so as not to risk being exposed to scams – you shouldn’t have to. There’s still a lot you can do yourself to protect yourself – one tip is to use the Freja app and ask the other person to share their identity via the app with you for quick and secure confirmation that they really are who they say they are.
If You Have Been Exposed
If you suspect that you have been the victim of a romance scam:
- Contact your bank directly. If a transaction has just been made, the bank may be able to stop it;
- Make a police report immediately;
- Get help and support from people around you. You can also contact the Crime Victim Support Center;
- Stop all contact, even with people who claim that they can help you get your money back.
