- Valentine’s Day alert as romance scams steal almost $5 million in 2024
- WA victim loses $780,000, including her house and superannuation
- Deepfake video technology used for increased deception
Romance and dating scams conned Western Australians out of nearly $5 million in 2024, prompting a Valentine’s Day warning from Consumer Protection.
Last year, WA ScamNet at Consumer Protection received reports from 57 consumers who experienced financial losses exceeding $4.981 million due to dating and romance scammers, a 34.6 per cent increase from the $3.7 million reported in 2023.
In one case, a WA woman was tragically scammed twice by romance scammers over five years, losing around $780,000. Her losses included the proceeds from selling her house, her superannuation, and the cost of two trips to the Netherlands, believing she was paying for her scammer’s release from prison.
Despite the higher 2024 losses, the number of reports to Consumer Protection from WA victims of romance scams declined slightly from the previous year in which 71 reports were received.
This decline appeared to mirror the national trend, as ScamWatch data revealed a 20 per cent decrease in reported victims across Australia last year.
Commissioner for Consumer Protection Trish Blake welcomed the news that fewer people were falling victim to these scams but expressed concern over the significantly higher total losses.
“An average loss of over $87,000 and in one case nearly $800,000 – that’s the devastating reality of romance scams in 2024. These staggering figures represent a lifetime of savings for many and can be financially crippling,” Ms Blake said.
“The drop in victim numbers gives us hope that people are learning to identify the red flags sooner and that friends and family are playing a role in stopping these scams before any money changes hands.
“However, we must remain vigilant as scammers are constantly adapting their tactics and using a wider range of channels to target their victims, including dating sites, gaming apps and social media.”
Ms Blake highlighted the emergence of Artificial Intelligence as a significant challenge for both consumers and authorities in the fight against scams.
“Deepfake technology is allowing scammers to create highly realistic videos, impersonating fabricated love interests and exploiting the images of real people in the process,” she said.
“That’s why our advice remains that unless you can meet in person, you should proceed with extreme caution, as you can’t always trust what you see in video calls or hear over the phone.”
Those looking for love online can help protect themselves from romance scammers by thoroughly researching their prospective partners and by:
- Reviewing their LinkedIn or Facebook profiles, including checking friends and followers.
- Reverse searching their profile pictures, or photos they have shared. You can do this on Google’s search page by clicking on the “search by image” icon in the search bar.
- Being mindful of their own profile across social media channels, particularly of not sharing personal information, as scammers may use these details to target you.
- Never sharing personal identification documents, such as a driver’s licence, passport, banking or credit card details with someone online.
- Never sharing explicit or intimate images with someone who might be a scammer, as scammers may find a way of recording and using them to their advantage later.
- Insisting on meeting in person before taking the relationship further.
Other tips include being wary of requests to transition conversations to encrypted message platforms, such as WhatsApp, Telegram and Google Chat, and being suspicious of investment or employment opportunities that seem “too-good-to-be true”.
For more information about romance scams, visit www.scamwatch.gov.au/types-of-scams/dating-romance
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Media Contact: cpmedia@demirs.wa.gov.au