Lovers left scorned on social media sites
SOCIAL media users are the hottest target of romance scammers prowling sites including Facebook to lure the lonely hearted into sending them money.
National
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SOCIAL media users are the hottest target of romance scammers prowling sites including Facebook to lure the lonely hearted into sending them money.
Latest findings by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission shows hopeful lovebirds lost $23 million nationally in 2015 or an average of $8600 per victim.
More than 2600 Australians reported falling victim to romance and dating scams to the ACCC which was an increase from 2400 in 2014.
ACCC deputy chair Delia Rickard urged those looking for love particularly around Valentine’s Day to never be coerced into sending money overseas, particularly after meeting someone on social media or dating websites.
“Nearly 25 per cent of all romance scams reported to use are from people who have met on social media,’’ she said.
“Never send money to someone no matter how believable their story is.”
The ACCC’s scam disruption project sent more than 6000 letters asking individuals who sent money to high risk jurisdictions to think twice before sending money offshore.
The latest statistics also found NSW had the highest number of reports of romance scams at 25 per cent, followed by Qld (22 per cent), Victoria (19 per cent), WA (10 per cent), SA (6 per cent), NT (3 per cent), Tas (4 per cent) and ACT (2 per cent).
Australians who reported the highest number of scams nationally were in the 45-54 age group.
Melbourne electronics technician Kevin Harrison, 63, lost more than $162,000 to an attractive woman going by the name of Rose Lucas. He met on an online dating site.
Harrison never met the attractive woman aged in her 30s and who was living in Ghana but he managed to be tricked into sending her large sums of money over four years. The most was $39,000 in one transaction.
Mr Harrison urges others to “never send money to someone you don’t know and trust, especially overseas,’’ he said.
For more information on how to recognise, avoid and report scams visit scamwatch.gov.au.
sophie.elsworth@news.com.au
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