LOCAL residents are being urged to remain cyber-aware during the season of love, with an uptick in online scams anticipated in the vicinity of Valentine’s Day. Some $3.7m was lost to dating and romance scams by Australians in February alone last year, according to Scamwatch data, as scammers attempted to gain the trust of singles before stinging them for their money. According to Wangaratta crime prevention officer Leading Senior Constable Helen Parfett, scammers often spent weeks or months talking to their victim online, before playing on emotional triggers in an effort to obtain money, gifts or bank and credit card details. “They tell you to invest your money or cryptocurrency in ‘opportunities’ that turn out to be fake, leaving you broke and broken-hearted,” she said. Throughout 2023, some 3652 reports of dating and romance scams were made to Scamwatch, with $34.3m lost, the majority of which occurred in June and July ($4.5m and $5.5m respectively). Only 32.6 per cent of reported scams involved financial losses. Scammers nabbed almost $15m from their victims after making initial contact via social media, while mobile applications accounted for more than $8.1m. The age demographics most hard-hit by romance scams included 45 to 54 ($7.1m), 55 to 64 ($10.6m) and over 65s ($7.6m), while the 35-44 age bracket were reportedly targeted the most often, lodging 647 reports to Scamwatch. To avoid being the victim of a scam, LSC Parfett urged locals to stop, think and protect when communicating online. “Don’t give personal information or act on investment advice from someone you have met online – if in doubt stop communicating,” she said. “Scammers can use different profile pictures and lie about who they really are, especially online. “Act quickly if something feels wrong – contact your bank immediately if you’ve invested money. “Help others by reporting scams to Scamwatch.” Residents are also encouraged to ask for pictures of the person they are talking to, which can then be compared with pictures on websites such as Google or TinEye, or even seek to speak to the person over the phone or video chat. If you believe you have been scammed, report the person to the website, app or social media platform, and ensure you contact your bank if you have provided financial details to the would-be scammer. For more information, visit https://www.police.vic.gov.au/cybercrime-and-online-scams.
