Two WA victims lose $1.4m to romance scammers

Western Australians are being urged to stay alert this Scams Awareness Week (August 26-30) after two WA victims lost more than $1.4 million to romance scammers.

Over a number of months, one victim sent $825,000 to help an online love interest with relocation costs, while the other victim lost at least $600,000 after being encouraged to invest into a fake cryptocurrency platform.
 
The two victims were also dragged into other scams - one as a money mule, opening bank accounts for fraudulent or criminal purposes, and the other in a secondary scam to a ‘fund recovery’ agent who sought further payment to recover her initial lost funds.

Video calls were also manipulated with deepfake artificial intelligence (AI) imagery to disguise the scammer’s appearance.

The two recent cases underpin mounting losses to dating and romance scams, which have surged to a total of $2.9 million lost by 26 victims so far in 2024, according to WA ScamNet figures, which is on track to beat last year’s record of $3.7 million.

To protect from romance scammers, consumers are urged to be cautious with potential love interests and never transfer money to someone they have only met online.

“Romance scammers are cold-hearted criminals who will spend weeks, even months, messaging their victims, making them feel like they have formed a genuine connection, before shifting the conversation to money," Commerce Minister Sue Ellery said.

“They may ask for help with travel expenses, relocation fees, business opportunities or cryptocurrency investments, but the end result is the same - their victims are left broken-hearted, out of pocket by significant amounts of money and their lives potentially in tatters.

“We are urging people not to take financial or investment advice from someone you have only met online. Even if you think you know who you are messaging, it could very well be a scammer on the other side of the screen. 

“It’s a major red flag if the love interest can’t meet in person. Remember, that video calls are now being manipulated by scammers with convincing deepfake technology.”
 
So far in 2024, WA ScamNet has heard from 201 victims losing a total $303,834 on Facebook Marketplace.

This beats the 163 victims and $116,500 in losses for 2023.

There has also been a concerning rise in fake adverts for shipping containers, with 11 victims so far this year who have lost a total $68,063.
 
People who have been targeted by scams can lodge a report on the WA ScamNet website or call 1300 30 40 54.