On average victims are said to have lost £15,936, with a total of £15,665,332 taken so far this year, accord to Action Fraud the UK's reporting centre for fraud and cyber crime. Pauline Smith, head of Action Fraud, said: 'We've all spent more time than ever before online over the past year and criminals have seen this as an opportunity to target unsuspecting victims - particularly those using dating platforms. Victims have reported being approached on dating platforms by criminals, who at first will engage in typical conversation in order to build a trusting relationship. The victim is then persuaded to continue the conversation on a secondary messaging platform, which often cannot provide the same level of safety as dating platforms. In other cases, victims have been told they cannot access their investment without paying various 'charges' such as transaction fees, security deposits and currency conversion costs, Action Fraud said.

Source: Daily Mail July 20, 2021 17:26 UTC