Police remind the public to be cautious of romance scams on the eve of Valentine's Day

Toronto Police Service News Release

Police remind the public to be cautious of romance scams on the eve of Valentine's Day

Thursday, February 13, 2014 - 6:00 AM
Financial Crimes:  416-808-7300

Every year, Canadians fall victim to romance scams. Although it is impossible to determine how many scams of this type are committed, investigators all too often deal with victims who are traumatized.

On the eve of Valentine's Day, the Financial Crimes Unit would like to offer advice to the public to help them better understand this scam and how to identify and avoid it.

Signs of a romance scam:

- usually starts online through social networking sites or dating sites

- fraudster will immediately offer personal information in hopes of the victim offering similar, if not more personal, info (e.g. full name, date of birth, address, phone numbers, bank information, credit information etc…)

- the fraudster will profess love for the victim in an unusually short period of time (e.g. days or weeks)

- shortly after "meeting" each other, the fraudster will inform the victim he/she needs money for a family emergency or for travel so they can come visit the victim

- the fraudster will request the money be sent via cash transfer companies instead of banks or mailed cheques

- in rare cases, a fraudster will target a victim with a more elaborate scheme that involves in-person meetings. The fraudster may ask to live with the victim and make constant requests for money while they are in a "difficult" spot. The fraudster may attempt to isolate the victim from their friends and family and siphon their money away. These schemes must involve false claims and misrepresentations to help create the illusion of being "in love" with the victim.

Romance scams cause both emotional and financial trauma to victims. Often, the financial loss is easily dealt with but the emotional trauma is lasting.

Strategies to identify romance scams:

- a stranger sends you an email or message through social networking or dating sites urgently wanting to get to know you

- the fraudster shares personal and intimate information about themselves at an unusually early stage. They then encourage you to do the same and ask about your full name, date of birth, address, phone numbers, banking profile, credit availability, closeness to family and friends etc.

- the fraudster will profess strong emotional attachment, including falling in love with you at an unusually early stage

- the fraudster will be very charismatic, charming, manipulative and aggressive with you in many aspects of your life

- the fraudster may attempt to isolate you from your family and friends and try and control who you are in contact with. In extreme cases they will stalk the victim

If you or someone you know is the victim of a romance scam, please contact your local police service. There is local support groups and victim services groups that offer assistance to victims of crime. In sensitive cases, people are encouraged to phone Crime Stoppers and report the scam anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

The Financial Crimes Unit website offers these tips and academic research that will assist the community in understanding and combating this crime.

For more information, please visit Toronto Police Service Financial Crimes Unit

Today at 11:15 a.m., Detective Sergeant Cameron Field of the Financial Crimes Unit will be appearing as a guest on Dale Goldhawk Fights Back on Zoomer Radio AM740. The topic will be romance scams.

Tonight on Twitter, #Fraudchat will be discussing romance scams and how to avoid them. Please join in at from 9 p.m. - 10 p.m.

For more information on this material and the fraud prevention strategy of the Toronto Police Service, please contact the Financial Crimes Unit social media team at t 416-808-7300.

Constable Sarah Diamond, Corporate Communications, for Staff Inspector Mary Lee Metcalfe, Financial Crimes Unit