23/07    14 February 2007

This Valentine's Day, the OFT is warning consumers not to be taken in by online dating scams.

An increasing number of people are using the internet to make new friends and find someone special, which means more people are being targeted by online dating scams designed to break hearts and steal money.

Online dating scammers create a false profile to match the specification of their target. Contact is made through chat rooms or dating sites and confidence built on a promise of romantic intentions. The scammer will set the scene with a romantic or tragic scenario, so that they can hit on their unsuspecting victim for money, for example:

• they'd really like to meet you, but don't have enough money to travel
• they are stranded abroad and don't have money for travel or visa costs
• they have been robbed and beaten, and require urgent surgery or treatment for a serious illness – and you are the only person who can help them.

The scammer will ask that the money be sent to them via money transfer. Other tell-tale signs to look out for include:

• your new beloved has model good looks – probably because they are using a photo of a model
• you can only make contact online – because the postal address is a PO Box and the phone number just rings out
• your new friend is all me, me, me, but doesn't answer your specific questions – probably because they are sending standard emails to hundreds of people.

The OFT's online dating scam alert comes as part of its month-long scams awareness campaign. UK consumers lose an estimated £3.5 billion per year to a variety of scams which exploit low-cost, mass-marketing techniques. Many of these scams originate overseas, making detection and prosecution more difficult.

To avoid falling for an online dating scam, remember:

• do not give out any personal details such as your home address or bank account
• always try and meet someone who lives locally. Make use of the online search engines on dating sites which matches you with someone who lives closest to your postcode address
• be sceptical if a person who is not your usual dating type offline is showing you particular attention online.

Christine Wade, OFT Assistant Chief Executive, Consumer Advice and Trading Standards said:

'Online dating scammers are heartless. They are happy to exploit people's emotions for their own gain. Never, ever send money or reveal your bank details to someone you don't know, however plausible they sound. Stop, think, and think again. Ask yourself is this person who they really say they are?'

NOTES

1. Scams Awareness Month, is part of an international initiative organised by the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network. The OFT has enlisted the support of local authority Trading Standards Services, Consumer Direct, the Advertising Standards Authority and other consumer and industry bodies.

2. The key message of the campaign is to 'stop, think and think again' if you think you may have been targeted by a scam. The campaign also exposes the key myths about scams, that they are victimless crime, that victims only lose money, and that only the vulnerable become victims.

3. Recent research commissioned by the OFT involving 11,200 interviews has found that 1,388,000 UK consumers fall victim to prize draw and sweepstake scams, 480,000 to pyramid selling and chain letter scams, 400,000 to bogus holiday clubs, 400,000 to internet dialler, 330,000 to work at home scams, 200,000 to miracle health scams, 170,000 to clairvoyant and psychic scams, 110,000 to loan scams. Download Research on impact of mass marketed scams (pdf 299 kb).

4. Scams are an OFT priority. The OFT launched a Scambusters team and set up the Scams Enforcement Group with partner organisations focussing on law enforcement; consumer education; and cooperation with private sector businesses to disrupt scammers' routes to market.

5. During the campaign the OFT is targeting particular UK regions: the Midlands, South East, North East and Wales. It will involve nationwide adverts, events and a scams awareness video has been produced.