Essex Police launch online dating safety campaign

Essex Police are raising awareness of the tactics romance fraudsters are using to leave people heartbroken and out of pocket.

In 2022, Action Fraud reported an estimated £88 million was lost to romance fraudsters in the UK. £1.6 million of this happened to people in Essex.

There were 191 cases reported – a drop of 13% – but officers believe there are many more victims who are reluctant to come forward.

Detective Chief Inspector Dan Morrissey from the Crime and Public Protection Team said:

“Dating sites, gaming platforms and social messaging services are all a great way to meet new people, discover new passions or learn a new skill. Sadly, there are some people who use these online platforms to look for victims and commit crime. It can be difficult to know how to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe.

"We want to start a conversation about staying safe when dating online, and the warning signs to look out for."

And it’s not just romance fraud that people should be wary of. Stalking and harassment can also happen online via email, text messages, social media and tracking apps. Harassment is when unwanted behaviour happens more than once.

Here are some tips to help keep you safe when dating online:

Beware of what you are telling the world. Try not to give too much personal information away. Someone you have just met online doesn’t need to know intimate details about your family or work life.

By giving away too many details, you could be providing someone with exactly what they need to manipulate you, entice you into a scam or access your passwords.

Stay on a secure platform. When you are chatting on a dating site or within an online game, everyone is bound by the platform’s rules and guidelines. This means you have a way to raise concerns or report inappropriate behaviour.

Do an image check. Don’t let the fact that someone is on a reputable dating site lower your sense of security. To help confirm the person you are interested in is who they say they are, you could do a quick web search on any images they have sent you. This can make sure the photos have not just been copied from another website. Location settings. All social media platform and some apps have their own privacy settings. They include the ability to set a social media account to private, prevent friend requests from people you don’t know or don’t want to contact you, and to hide the location of your device from others.