Copyright euroweeklynews
Catfished for love: Guardia Civil warns of ‘romance fraud’ as scammers weaponise feelings online. A familiar DM with a costly ending Spain’s Guardia Civil has posted a short warning on X about “la estafa del amor” (romance fraud), urging the public to not fall for these scams. The method is quite straight-forward: criminals build fake online identities to earn your trust, move fast emotionally and, once you’re hooked, ask for money. It’s a playbook many readers will recognise from friends’ stories: a flattering DM, a whirlwind connection, and then a turn – an unexpected medical bill, a customs fee, a business emergency – that “only you” can solve. How the scheme really works Catfishing – the creation of a fake persona – is often just the opening act. Scammers typically switch platforms quickly (from a dating app to WhatsApp or Telegram), avoid video calls or offer suspiciously grainy ones, and are hellbent on secrecy. Then comes the ask: bank transfer, crypto, gift cards, even paying a courier. Money rarely stops where you send it. It’s moved through “mules”, converted and dispersed in minutes, which makes recovery hard. Investigators say the psychological levers are consistent: urgency, isolation, mirroring your interests and a “lovebomb” of constant attention. Spain and Europe: a rising trend Spanish operations in the past year have dismantled groups linked to multi-million-euro frauds that mixed romance scams with business email compromise and laundering networks. Europol’s IOCTA (Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment) 2024 flags romance fraud as a persistent EU threat, noting more layered schemes that combine emotional manipulation and financial coercion. UK figures illustrate the scale: the City of London Police reported nearly £95 million (€107.7 million) in losses in a single year, with thousands of victims – reminding Brits that this is not a niche problem but a mainstream crime that thrives across borders. Red flags you can spot in 60 seconds Watch for profiles with stock-style photos, brand-new accounts with long-life stories, evasiveness about video calls, lightning-fast declarations of love and any early request for money. Demands to move off-platform quickly, instructions to keep the relationship “our secret”, or pressure to act before speaking to family or your bank are also strong indicators. One practical tip: ask for a short, custom video saying a specific phrase and cross-check the name, accent and background; then run a reverse image search on profile pictures – this you can do by going on to Google Images and uploading a picture, which will then give you results as to where that specific photo came from. If you think you’ve been targeted: take five steps First, stop contact immediately. Second, preserve evidence – screenshots, usernames, bank references, crypto transaction IDs. Third, call your bank and ask about recall options, especially for APP (Authorised Push Payment) transfers. Fourth, report it: in Spain, contact INCIBE (Spanish National Cybersecurity Institute) on 017 for guidance, and file a complaint with the Guardia Civil or Policía Nacional. UK readers should report via Action Fraud and notify their bank. Fifth, seek emotional support; scammers rely on shame to keep victims silent. A crime that preys on trust Romance fraud is not just a financial scam – it’s an emotional betrayal that leaves real scars. Behind every statistic is someone who believed they’d found connection, only to discover it was carefully manufactured. As the Guardia Civil’s warning makes clear, awareness is still the strongest defence. Love stories that start online can be genuine and, in this day and age, should not be taboo’d or discouraged. But trust should grow through time, truth and verification – not urgency or secrecy. Before you send money, a document, or even a photo, pause and check. The moment that saves you may be the one where you choose to double check the fairytale.
