More than £800,000 was lost in romance scams across Northern Ireland last year, according to the PSNI.
It has issued tips to avoid such fraudsters, with 61 reports of dating scams in 2025.
The police said each case involves a person “who may have experienced financial loss, distress and a serious breach of trust”.
On World Romance Scams Prevention Day, PSNI Superintendent Joanne Gibson said: “Romance scammers are skilled manipulators. Many people use social media and dating sites to find love and meet new people and, while in many cases, situations are safe and legitimate, there are, unfortunately, criminals who take advantage of this and go to great lengths to build a fake relationship.
“Their sole aim is stealing people’s money.”
The Chair of ScamwiseNI Partnership added: “Fraudsters seek to build a relationship of trust quickly before requesting money.
“Initially, they’ll appear…
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HOW TO SPOT A “RED FLAG” (THE BEHAVIORAL AUDIT)
Keep an eye out for these behavioral shifts in your staff:
Refusal to take leave: Afraid someone will find their “adjustments.”
Unexplained wealth: Buying luxury items that don’t match their known salary.
Working odd hours: Preferring to work alone late at night when no one is watching the system.
“Gatekeeper” behavior: Becoming overly defensive or angry when someone asks to see their records.