Be on guard against romance fraudsters trawling the net for victims. The warning comes as part of the annual Scamnesty campaign, held by Lancashire Police and Lancashire Trading Standards to highlight the tricks used by fraudsters. Romance fraud is a developing issue. Vulnerable victims are being preyed upon by fraudsters targeting them via a number of mediums, including social networking websites.
DC Tony McClements, fraud evaluation and liaison officer for Lancashire Constabulary said: “One of the more upsetting trends is seeing members of the deaf community being singled out due to their heavy reliance upon social networking sites to interact with other members of the community, nationally and internationally. The targeting of deaf people can be particularly nasty as the themes include not only romance fraud but also lottery scams and even adoption scams, where deaf couples are sought out to adopt a deaf child. In such instances advance fees are sought as agency payments from the couple keen to provide a home as they are perfectly placed to raise a deaf child.”
Lee Ormandy of Trading Standards, added, “It is appalling that vulnerable residents such as deaf people are being targeted in this fashion. Our advice would be only to use a recognised online dating agency or web-chat service and follow their safety tips. Trust your instincts and report your suspicions to the site administrators and where appropriate to ourselves or the police.”
Heidi Koivisto of Lancashire Deaf Service, said: “Deaf people are avid users of social networking websites. Members of the community are geographically scattered and the internet offers us a meeting place that is easily accessed from a computer or smartphone. It also offers an alternative, visual way to communicate with non-deaf people in a world that relies heavily on spoken communication.
“Emails, forums, blogs, Facebook and Twitter are predominantly in written language. However, due to factors not their fault, not all deaf people are fluent in written English. These people are vulnerable when they enter social networks. For fraudsters to prey upon these deaf people in such a fashion is beyond contempt and we fully support the efforts of Lancashire Trading Standards and the Police in alerting the public to this problem.”
Safety tips for those who utilise on-line dating services include:
* Always read the ‘Personal Security’ section on the website – this exists for a reason and by following their advice the chances of falling victim to the fraudsters are significantly reduced.
* Be wary of a prospective partner who asks you to communicate outside the website facility. A fraudster may utilise this tactic in an attempt to avoid the possibility of a moderator spotting any developing problems.
* Avoid people who appear reluctant to answer your questions, or do so by skirting the issues.
* Never disclose financial details regardless of how genuine the person appears.
When arranging a date:
* Until you know the person, always meet up in a public place and advise a friend or a member of your family where you are going and who it is who you are meeting.
* Ensure that your friend or family member understand that you will contact them when you return home safely so any potential problems are highlighted sooner rather than later. Anybody who thinks they may be a victim of fraud should visit actionfraud.org.uk.
