The States police and fraud experts fear that the number of people falling victim to so-called romance fraud or ‘catfishing’ scams could be far higher, as many may be too embarrassed to report the offences.
In romance scams, victims are lured into fake relationships by criminals using false online accounts and fictional stories. They often never meet the scammer, but are conned into transferring large amounts of money over the internet.
The police are seeing reports of online scams and fraud in Jersey increasing ‘year on year’.
Detective Chief Inspector Chris Beechey, chairman of the Fraud Prevention Forum, said catching the criminals responsible was almost impossible and that that was why the force and the Jersey Fraud Prevention Forum were so focused on promoting prevention.
In a separate type of scam earlier this year, an Islander lost his £1.2 million life savings in what has been described as one of biggest single-victim fraud cases Jersey has ever seen. The victim – an experienced cryptocurrency investor – was targeted after criminals operating bank accounts around the world duped him into investing in fake Bitcoin over an 18-month period. Det Chief Insp Beechey said in some cases fraudsters may be based in states deemed unfriendly to the British Isles such as Russia, North Korea and eastern European countries, or pass their communications through servers in those countries which ‘virtually kills the evidence trail’.
Next week, information leaflets on so-called romance fraud containing details about how Islanders can protect themselves are due to be sent to every home in Jersey.
‘What is most compelling about romance fraud is the true emotional targeting that happens here. The fraudsters are absolutely preying on vulnerability and loneliness,’ said Det Chief Insp Beechey.
‘People are going online in the hope of romance and not expecting someone at the other end to be there for any other reason than the same as them. People often really want to trust the person and it’s difficult to encourage them to be doubtful.
‘When there is that level of emotional investment it can be rich-pickings for fraudsters.’
He added: ‘What we are seeing is that reports of both scams and people losing money to all types of fraud is increasing year on year.’
Although ten victims have reported offences to the police, Det Chief Insp Beechey said many others had reported potential scams when they spotted something that did not seem right.
The scammers have contacted their victims through well-known, heavily publicised dating apps and websites.
The detective added: ‘There is not any particular type of profile that would make a fraudster stand out. One common factor, the individuals who have unfortunately ended giving money away to have said, is that they believed the profile to be hugely credible. These are sophisticated criminals.’
Asked if Jersey was a particular target because of its relative affluence, the officer added: ‘We know the UK is suffering many of the same issues that we are, but there is a very real possibility that if someone did their homework in relation to Jersey that they would identify it as a very affluent society and there is a danger that organised fraudsters would look to specifically target here. Of course, there are no borders online.’
