Gardai have urged people to remain vigilant ahead of Valentine's Day after a whopping 86% increase in romance scams last year.
Cunning fraudsters swindled lonely singletons out of tens of thousands of euros, with 70% of the victims being women.
One incident saw a woman, 51, transferring €90,000 to a man she was in an online relationship with for what she thought was a loan for his business.
