Bitcoin and fake social media profiles — gardaí warn of increasing threat of romance fraud

One such case in North Cork involved a man being duped into sending thousands of euro worth of bitcoin to a person he met on a dating site.

Fraudsters target people who have suffered a loss or a separation or are vulnerable in some other way, and prey on their sympathy. File Picture: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire

Gardaí in Cork are investigating a number of instances of romance fraud, including one case where a person lost over €100,000.

They are warning people to be wary of sending money to anyone online, and have stressed that no one should be embarrassed if they are a victim of such scams, many of which are very sophisticated or target vulnerable people.