London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

More than 1,000 romance fraud incidents in London cost victims nearly £15m

More than 1,000 romance fraud incidents in London cost victims nearly £15m

Londoners were conned out of millions of pounds in 2022, figures show
More than 1,000 incidents of romance fraud totalling nearly £15 million in losses were recorded in London last year, new figures show.

Across the UK victims have been conned out of £317 million over the past four years, Action Fraud figures released by the Liberal Democrats reveal, and money being made by con artists is on the rise.

Incidents have skyrocketed from 5,700 in 2019 to almost 8,000 last year.

Between January 2019 and December 2022, a total of 29,408 romance frauds were reported to local police forces, costing £316,878,696 in financial losses, The Telegraph reported.

Five police forces saw more than £10 million lost to romance fraud between 2019 and 2022, including London Metropolitan, Kent and Sussex.

Romance fraud usually involves a person using a fake online profile to form a relationship with victims before taking their personal information and large sums of money.

A high profile case was explored in the Netflix series The Tinder Swindler last year, which followed a group of women tracking down the jet-setting, Instagramming romantic scammer who cheated them out of millions of dollars.

Lib Dems home affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael is calling for tougher repercussions for romance fraudsters.

“The Government is completely failing to crack down on these cruel online scams on social media or online dating websites,” The Telegraph reported the MP saying.

“Fraudsters are being allowed to get away with stealing millions of pounds while victims are denied justice.”

Mr Carmichael called for a dedicated Online Crime Agency to be established and a real-time scam warning system.

A Home Office spokesperson said romance fraud is “sickening crime” which causes psychological harm and “leaves victims feeling embarrassed and exploited”.

It said £400 million over the next three years will be used to crack down on fraud and economic crime, and that a Fraud Strategy would be published shortly.

People aged 51 to 65 accounted for nearly half of the amount of money reported lost to romance fraud in 2022, according to TSB.

Meanwhile the average financial loss for victims of romance scams is nearly £12,000, according to data from Nationwide Building Society.

Typical losses to romance scams have more than doubled, from £4,720 in 2021 to £11,796 in 2022, it said.

Men falling victim lost £9,057 on average to such scams last year and women lost £14,803 typically, according to the society.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×