Norfolk singles and married couples targeted by romance scammers
Romance scams have been defrauding singles and couples alike. - Credit: Archant
Singles and married couples in Norfolk are being targeted by romance scammers promising them love and a refund on their marriage allowance.
The first scam sees singles in the county duped into sending money to criminals who go to great lengths to gain trust and convince them they are in a genuine relationship before appealing to their compassionate side to ask for money.
They use language to manipulate, persuade and exploit so requests for money do not raise alarm bells.
The scam usually begins on social media platforms, dating websites and apps or gaming sites.
Fraudsters also use conversations to ask innocent sounding questions such as date of birth, name of first pet or home address to obtain information to commit identity fraud.
The other scam saw a Norfolk person charged £300 after they responded to an online advert offering a marriage allowance refund.
They also provided their personal information.
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Norfolk Trading Standards says people should only apply for the refund via the gov.uk website.
If someone falls victim to the scam it can be reported to Trading Standards via the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133, or Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.
