UK Romance Scams Spike 20% as Online Dating Grows
Romance scam reports have risen 20% year-over-year during the first quarter of 2025, according to new data from UK banking giant Barclays.
The report found that romance scams are continuing to rise in line with the growing popularity of online dating and dating apps. The majority of romance scam reports in Q1 2025 originated from these platforms.
Barclays added that 12% of UK adults have been targeted, or know someone who has been targeted, by a romance scam.
The report also found that victims lost £8000 ($10,704) on average in 2024, a significant increase from £5800 ($7760) in 2023.
Average losses from romance scams went up to £19,000 ($25422) for those aged 61 and over in 2024. This suggests fraudsters are particularly targeting older people who are potentially less-digitally savvy.
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Among reported romance scams in Q1 2025, men make up a higher proportion of volume (60%) and total losses (57%).
Kirsty Adams, Fraud and Scams Expert at Barclays commented: “Social media platforms and dating apps are by far the biggest sources of romance scams, which is no surprise considering how the dating landscape has changed over the decades.”
She added: “Romance scammers have taken advantage of the shift online, using these channels to target potential victims. Falling for a romance scam can be both financially and emotionally devastating.”
How Romance Scammers Target Victims
The report found that 39% of victims revealed the scammer asked for money less than a month after they began communicating.
Scammers frequently attempt to create a false sense of urgency to put the victim under pressure to send money, cited by 32% of victims. The most common reasons given for needing money were:
- Fake emergencies (32%)
- Travel costs, such as flights and visas (26%)
- Medical bills and expenses (26%)
Romance scammers also commonly exploit emotions such as loneliness to gain trust and trick victims into sending them money. Around a fifth (19%) of victims admitted overlooking red flags because they were excited about the prospect of finding love.
Tech Companies Urged to do More
According to Barclays data, three-quarters (76%) of consumers expect tech firms to do more to prevent romance scammers operating on their platforms.
Cybersecurity experts highlighted a number of ways to do so. Marko Maras, CEO of Trustfull, explained that open-source intelligence can be deployed to effectively tighten verification controls.
“For example, existing technology can instantly check whether a user’s email or phone number matches the name they provided at sign-up, flag suspicious location mismatches, and even detect AI-generated images or celebrity photos being used as profile pictures,” he noted.
Banks can also contribute to the detection of romance scams before vast sums are lost. Silvija Krupena, Director of the Financial Intelligence Unit at RedCompass Labs, urged banks to analyze behavioral patterns in their customer data and adopting persona-based typologies.
“While crypto makes it difficult to track, this crime is not entirely devoid of red flags, particularly through banking data. When people start to act differently, banks can notice, intervene, and act before all is lost,” she commented.