Kent residents were swindled out of a staggering £3.1 million by romance fraudsters last year, with one Swale woman losing nearly £100,000 and her home.
Kent Police reported 240 victims in 2024/25, with an average loss of £13,000 per person. The force is backing a national campaign this week to raise awareness of the insidious scam.
One victim, a Swale resident, was targeted on social media in 2022 by someone posing as an American serviceman while she was grieving. Over several months, she developed trust, believing she was in a relationship. She sent increasing amounts of money, primarily via gift cards, for supposed food and medical expenses after he claimed to be deployed overseas. This led to her accumulating significant debt and ultimately losing her house.
When she tried to end the relationship, she faced threats from other fraudsters who blackmailed her with intimate details. She was then conned further by another individual claiming to be with the FBI, offering to help with the threats.
Her bank alerted Kent Police in May 2025, sparking an investigation. While no arrests have been made and the money remains untraced, a local jeweller returned a family heirloom the victim had unknowingly pawned to send cash to the fraudsters.
Detective Chief Inspector Helen Smithers of Kent Police said:
‘Romance fraud is a particularly cruel offence because the criminals responsible prey on the emotions of their victims, letting them think they are falling in love when they are actually falling for an elaborate scam.
‘Unfortunately some victims do not realise until it is too late, by which point they have already lost thousands of pounds to the fraudsters who often invent stories as to why they need their money. This can include to pay for flights to meet them or because they need financial support for a sick relative.
‘Our best advice is to never send money to someone who you have never met in person or do not completely trust. If you have any doubts about a person’s intentions, always speak to a family member or friend for advice because if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.’
How to stay safe from romance fraudsters:
- If you have met someone via a dating app, do not feel pressured to hand over your mobile number and move the conversation over to a chat platform.
- Be suspicious of any requests for money from someone you have never met in person.
- Be cautious about how much personal information you are sharing online and who you are sharing information with.
- Speak to your family or friends to get advice and perspective. Fraudsters will subtly isolate you for their own purposes.
- Profile photos may not be genuine. Performing a reverse image search can find photos that have been taken from somewhere or someone else.
It is important that no matter how long you have been speaking to someone online and how much you think you trust them, do not:
- send them any money, even in the form of gift cards;
- allow them access to your bank account;
- transfer money on their behalf;
- take a loan out for them;
- provide copies of your personal documents such as passports or driving licences;
- invest your own money on their behalf or on their advice;
- purchase and send the codes on gift cards; or
- agree to receive and/or send parcels (e.g. laptops/mobile phones etc.) on their behalf.