A study by the University of Leicester has estimated that more than 200,000 people in Britain may have been conned by fraudsters posing as would-be romantic partners on internet dating. It is believed that losses range from £50 to £240,000.
Romance fraudsters target people who use internet dating, social web sites and newspaper personals.
The scammer will provide fictional profiles, using fake photographs. The scammer will build up a close relationship with a victim and then ask for some kind of financial help.
It is not just the financial loss that people suffer it is also the heartbreak of discovering that the person with whom they had fallen in love was the invention of a skilled con artist:
