Woman fleeced out of €450k among 245 victims of dating scams

After matching online, the culprits quickly encourage their victim to move to a messaging app or email

Of the 245 victims that have come forward since 2020, the average financial loss was €28,500.

Gardaí have warned romantics to be wary of online scammers with victims fleeced out of €7m in recent years, including one woman losing more than €450,000.

Over €7m has been stolen over the last five years with criminals taking advantage of the increasing popularity of dating apps, according to gardaí.