Cons and Roses: Kilkenny people urged to be wary of Valentine’s ‘romance fraud’
St Valentine’s day is said to be the most romantic day of the year, but it can also have the opposite effect of making people feel lonely – and there are people out there only too willing to exploit this loneliness.
This Valentine’s Day, gardai are urging people in Kilkenny to be aware of ‘romance fraud’ and to take care when connecting with people on dating apps or online sites.
Last year there were 75 cases of Romance Fraud reported in Ireland with victims, both male and female, being conned out of more than €1,000,000.
Detective Chief Superintendent Pat Lordan of the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau said: “This particular fraud is enabled via online dating sites or other social media by fraudsters who will provide the victims with well-prepared stories designed to deceive.
“The victims develop online relationships with the fraudsters, who use fake identities, photographs and life stories. Inevitably, the fraudster will ask their victim for money. The fraudster will continue to ask for money until the victim has no more money to give or realise they are being conned.
“This crime often leaves vulnerable people with a feeling of hurt and mistrust in addition to their financial loss.”
Gardai point to two cases last year where one female was conned out of €62,000 by someone posing as a man online, while in the other case a male was taken for €50,000 by a scammer posing as a woman.
The warning signs that you could be the victim of a scam are easy to spot, according to the gardai.
These include only communicating by instant messaging, text or phone calls rather than messaging through the dating website; being asked for money for varying reasons; asking the victim to pay for travel to meet or to move; pay for medical expenses; or get involved in investments.
Gardai say the scammers will always find reasons to get out of arranged meets, will be vague about personal details, and will ask for money transfers to bank accounts based abroad.
“Stop and think! Ask yourself, is this a real person?” Supt Lordan said.
“Never share personal or banking details with unknown persons online. Never receive money from or send money to persons unknown. Think twice before using a webcam as intimate images can be used for blackmail, and trust your instincts – if it sounds like it is too good to be true, it is probably not true,” he concluded.
Supt Lordan urged anyone who has been a victim of ‘romance fraud’ and have not reported to come forward to their local Garda station.
JEzz says:
A common misperception is that lost or stolen bitcoin is gone forever. without knowing that, as Blockchain Forensics Continues to Evolve, Identifying, Tracing and Recovering Stolen, Hacked or Scammed Crypto Assets may have already become easier than traditional asset recovery. as easy as it is ONLY A Very Very few Professional Recovery Experts and Hackers can get this type of job done, TO Perform or Invest and hold a certain Amount of Bitcoin you have to verify your Identity as Required by the Law. A few Expert have found a way to exploit this Verification and use it to their advantage to Trace and identify Bitcoin wallet and the Identity of the person who owns the Wallet which Victims sent Bitcoin or other Crypto Asset to.
IF You ever lost your funds to an investment scam, Bitcoin Mining Scam or any Type of Scam what you need to do is Hire a Professional to get the job done. Also be very careful of who you hire to get the job done, as MORE Than 95% of people who claim they can Recover Lost, Stolen, Hacked, or Scammed Bitcoin are all Scammers themselves trying to rip you of Whatever is remaining of your Hard Earn Money WHICH was lost to Scammers.
If you ever need to HÏŘË a professional to help you recover your bitcoin or funds either stolen, HÄČKËD or ŠČÄMMËD, simply send an ema!| to ‘’FÅSTŘËČÕVËŘÝ02 HÃŤ GMÃÍĹ ČÕMË’’ . he is a professional recovery agent who recently recovered 500,000USD worth of Bitcoin I lost to fake Bitcoin Mining investment website. he does not charge a penny until after the job is done. he has been tested and Trusted by Several Victims of investment scam I know.
newman says:
Can the victims get their money back?
YES!!!
IF YOU HAVE EVER BEEN A VICTIM OF BÍŤČÕÍÑ ŠČÄM, INVESTMENT SCAM or ANY TYPE OF ŠČÄM. WITH THE RIGHT APPROACH AND EVIDENCE THAT YOU WERE A VICTIM, IT IS NOW POSSIBLE TO ŘËĆÖVËŘ YOUR ŠŤÕĹËÑ, ŠČÄM OR LOST BÍŤČÕÍÑ. THANKS TO THE EVOLUTION OF BÍŤČÕÍÑ FORENSICS. THOSE BEHIND THIS ŠČÄM WANT TO SELL THE IDEA THAT WAHT HAPPENED TO YOU WAS UNFORTUNATELY A “BAD INVESTMENT”. WHEN IN REALITY WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU WAS THEFT VIA AN ELABORATE SCHEME. IF YOU, YOUR FAMILY OR FRIEND EVER FALL VICTIM OF THIS TYPE OF ŠČÄM, YOU SHOULD HÏŘË THIS FINANCIAL ŘËĆÖVËŘY EXPERT BY EMAILING {FÅSTŘËČÕVËŘÝ02 HÃŤ GMÃÍĹ ČÕMË}, HE WAS ABLE TO ŘËČÕVËŘ 450,000USD WORTH OF BÍŤČÕÍÑ I LOST TO FOREX-XCHANGE A FAKE AND FRAUD WEBSITE. HE IS THE BEST OUT THERE, BEST PART IS AS A GUARANTY THAT HE GETS THE JOB DONE, HE DOES NOT CHARGE A PENNY UNTIL AFTER THE JOB IS DONE.