Scamnesty 2011: Wendy Groves signed up to a popular online dating site and met a man who sounded like her dream partner.
He was a former soldier who now worked on container ships sailing between the UK and Asia.
Online relationship goes further
After several months of sending increasingly affectionate messages, the man sent an email saying he’d been beaten and robbed while in port in Singapore and his ship had left without him. He asked Wendy to send him £600 by Western Union so he could afford to fly to the ship’s next port of call.
Wendy sent the money that day. She never heard from the man again.
This example of an online dating scam is fictional, but based on actual cases. The Office of Fair Trading is highlighting how scams like this can happen during Scamnesty 2011.
Read more about Scamnesty 2011.
Please note: Action Fraud is not responsible for the content on external websites.
To report a fraud, call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or use our online fraud reporting tool.
See also:
Online fraud
Romance scams
Be fraud safe this Valentines
