Police are warning members of the public to be extra cautious this Valentine’s Day with fears romance fraud scammers are on the lookout for vulnerable members of the community.

Last year, Queenslanders sent over $17 million in cash to countries such as Ghana and Nigeria, according to police, with 90 per cent of that money related to romance fraud.

“The consequences of this fraud can be absolutely devastating, both personally and financially. In some instances victims struggle to recover emotionally and may never at all recover financially,” Detective Superintendent Brian Hay of the Fraud and Cyber Crime Group said.

“We know for a fact fraudsters are out their right now and Valentine’s Day presents a perfect opportunity for members of the public, looking to meet someone online, to be targeted by fraudsters looking to hook them and extract money from them,” he said.

“They may take many months, to build what seems like the romance of a lifetime and may even pretend to book flights to visit you, but never actually come. Once they have gained your trust they will ask you (either subtly or directly) for money, gifts or your banking/credit card details. They will pretend to need these for a variety of reasons,” Detective Superintendent Hay said.

Reasons include:

• Financial hardship;
• To move money, gold or precious metals to Australia;
• To purchase an airline ticket to visit you;
• Visa application processing fee;
• Medical bills for relatives; and
• Urgent medical bills for themselves after a severe accident (you may be contacted by the alleged doctor).

They may also seek to introduce you to a relative or trusted entity who presents you with a unique business investment opportunity which will yield great returns, or look to make online purchases in Australia and have the goods delivered to your premises for on-forwarding to them. These purchases have been made with compromised credit cards and can result in you becoming an international property mule.

How to protect yourself:

• ALWAYS consider the possibility that the approach may be a scam
• Check their IP address when possible
• Use Google or a similar tool to search the image they have used to check if it has been taken from another site
• Look for an internet profile
• Ask them to send you a photograph of them holding the local daily paper
• Always confide and discuss your situation with a friend
• Never meet without a friend beside you
• Never send money overseas
• Always seek independent legal and financial advice before investing
• Never disclose bank details to a person you haven’t met
• Never reveal too much personal information
• Never allow your address to be a delivery point for purchases
• Never agree to transfer money
• Don’t trust Skype messages (which can be pre-recorded)
• Don’t fall for the fantasy dream

Contact the Fraud and Cyber Crime Group if you wish to discuss your circumstances on 3364 6622.

If you or a family member have been a victim and need some support, you can attend the next meeting of the Victims of Fraud Support Group Meeting, to be held at the Ground Floor Police Headquarters, 200 Roma Street at 300pm on Saturday March 8, 2014 – all welcome.