HUNDREDS of West Mercia residents were among the victims of dating scams costing UK people over a quarter of a billion pounds in three years, according to new data from Action Fraud.
The national reporting centre for fraud revealed there were 21,976 reports of dating scams received between 2022/23 and 2024/25.
Based on self-reported losses, West Mercia victims parted with a collective £3,857,217 after being manipulated by scammers pretending to pursue a romantic relationship.
316 reports were traced back to Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire, making the average loss experienced by a victim in the region £12,206.
That mean figure is well above the UK average of £10,324 lost per case (not including Scotland). In total, reported losses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland from 2022/23 to 2024/25 reached a deeply concerning £271,430,524.
Statistics collected by Action Fraud Claims Advice, which cover the period from April 2022 to March 2025, show a concerning rise in scam reports.
Action Fraud was contacted 8,122 times in 2024/25, a 17 per cent increase on both 2023/24 (6,928 cases) and the financial year before that (6,926 cases in 2022/23).
Losses reached nine figures for the first time in a financial year, with the estimated total taken by scammers reaching a massive £102,239,843.
Men fell victim to the most scams, according to the reports. They flagged 10,634 incidents, losing £98,794,504.
While women had fewer reports (8,892), they lost £145,559,718 at an average of £16,370 per incident – nearly twice as much as men.
The loss was even more stark for transgender victims, who were defrauded to the tune of over £1 million at a shocking average of £27,234 per recorded case.
According to Action Fraud, the average age for a fraud victim was 47 years old in 2022/23, rising marginally to 48 the year after, and 49 in 2024/25.
Action Fraud Claims Advice spoke to Lisa Mills, Senior Fraud Manager at Victim Support, earlier this year. Mills said: “Romance fraud is a devastating crime.
“For victims, it isn’t just a question of losing large sums of money.
“The psychological and emotional impact of being deceived by someone you trusted deeply can knock your confidence and sense of self-worth enormously.”
Action Fraud Claims Advice is a fraud recovery advice service, where victims of fraud can be connected to an expert for support in reclaiming lost funds.
Visit www.actionfraud.police.uk for more information. Contact Victim Support online or by calling 08 08 16 89 111 for support.
