Con artists pocket almost €500k in romance fraud scams

People have been warned to be wary of potential romance fraud scams after 30 cases were reported last year. 

The fraudsters set up fake profiles and build a relationship with their victims, gaining their trust before asking for money, which can be portrayed as emergency medical expenses or money to cover travel expenses to visit the victim.

Almost 30 Irish victims of "romance fraud" handed over an average of €18,000 each last year, with con artists pocketing a total of €486,000.

The Banking and Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI) has warned that romance scams are on the rise due to the Covid-19 pandemic.