Romance scam victims using desperate new method to con victims out of cash
Romance scammers are using a new ploy to swindle cash from their victims.
Fraudsters have started pushing victims into making bogus insurance claims in a latest string to their bow, experts have warned. The Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) issued the warning this week after reports of victims being coerced into taking out the bogus insurance policies and create untrue claims, resulting in the criminals bagging the payout.
The scammers start with small claims which increase over time, trapping victims in a criminal funding cycle. If caught, insurance fraud is a severe crime where offenders can wind up on the Insurance Fraud Register (IFR) for five years.
The IFR keeps track of known insurance fraudsters and insurers review it when issuing new policies. Insurers then have the choice to hike up premiums due to increased risk or refuse cover altogether, leaving people unable to drive, without a job or struggling to find work. Investigations have revealed that this type of fraud is often mixed up with other, even more severe crimes, added the IFB.
Shelley Comb, from the IFB, told PA agency: "Being convicted of insurance fraud can have life-changing consequences; don't risk it all to line someone's pocket." Romance scams have seen online crooks swindle millions from unsuspecting victims over recent years.
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The scams typically involve the criminal posing as someone online - usually using another person's identity - to cultivate emotional relationships with vulnerable victims looking for love online. The fraudsters will then invent scenarios where they need to borrow money from a victim, often before disappearing entirely.
The news follows reports of a surge in male victims of romance scams coming forward, rising by 40% over the past year, according to Nationwide Building Society. Data compiled by the bank showed one in five (20%) victims who reported romance fraud were men aged between 20 and 30.
It also highlighted that women tend to lose more than men, with an average loss of £10,610 compared with £8,181 for men. The bank urged customers to use their scam checker service before making any payments.
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