People in Milton Keynes are being warned to remain vigilant after new figures revealed that romance fraud cases in the new city and the wider area have climbed beyond 300 reports per year.
Statistics obtained by Romance Scams Advice through Freedom of Information requests show an increase in reports across the Thames Valley area, with conniving dating scammers having stolen more than £100 million from victims across the UK since 2022.
Over the three-year period, the force logged a total of 940 romance fraud cases, representing an overall increase of 6%.
“These shocking figures underline the growing importance of tackling romance fraud," said Stuart Lythgoe, a fraud recovery specialist at Romance Scams Advice, "Scammers prey on the trust of vulnerable people, and with huge sums of money often at stake, the results can be psychologically damaging as well as financially harmful.”
The data showed that men are being increasingly targeted, and that romance fraud continues to disproportionately affect Gen X and Gen Z.
“It can be a complex crime, with financial services facing many challenges in eliminating risk, so it’s important that we all remain vigilant to avoid being deceived by these skilled and devious manipulators,” Stuart added.
“People should always be wary when sending money, particularly to anyone asking for money who they have never met, as the risk of fraud is increased dramatically.
“While tighter controls are needed to identify red flags and prevent romance fraud, seeking to recover your lost money is also an important step in ensuring accountability for the perpetrators while ensuring justice for affected individuals.”
