what is a romance & dating scam?
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A dating and romance scam is where:
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scammers take advantage of people looking for romantic partners.
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They often control the victim's emotions.
This is often done through online dating, dating websites or social media with fake information.
HOW DOES THE SCAM WORK?
The scammers use emotional triggers to get you to provide money, gifts or personal details.
Romance scammers create fake profiles on dating sites and apps or contact their victims through popular social media sites such as Instagram, Facebook or Google Hangouts.
The scammers build a relationship with the target to build their trust where they talk or chat several times a day, eventually asking for money.
Oh no! Be careful online everyone!
WHAT DO THE SCAMMERS ASK FOR?
The romance scammers ask for money to pay for:
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travel expenses
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medical expenses
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gambling debts
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visas or other official travel documents
They ask for money through wiring money or gift cards because they are able to get money quickly and anonymously.
Gift cards are asked because it is impossible to trace it back to the scammer.
HOW MUCH MONEY DID PEOPLE LOSE FROM THIS SCAM?
According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and ScamWatch, Australians had lost $28.6 million dollars from the scam in 2019.
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, 2019. Amount Lost And Number Of Reports. [image] Available at: <https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/about-scamwatch/scam-statistics?scamid=13&date=2019> [Accessed 4 April 2020].
Social networking (social media) was the platform that most scams were delivered on.
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, 2019. Delivery Method. [image] Available at: <https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/about-scamwatch/scam-statistics?scamid=13&date=2019> [Accessed 4 April 2020].