Gardai have warned the public to be vigilant over romance fraud after an Irish bank account received over €100,000 from 12 different people all over Europe.
Hungarian police contacted gardai in September 2021 through Interpol, asking for their assistance as they were investigating a case of Romance Fraud where a woman was deceived into sending $4,000 to fraudulent account.
Officers in Hungary discovered that the money was credited to an Irish bank account. Gardai identified the account holder and after an analysis they discovered that there were 46 suspicious credits into the account between September 2020 and October 2021.
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The credits were from 12 different people, eleven women and one man, from eight EU countries, namely Germany, Croatia, Austria, Hungary, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Poland and the UK.
The bank account was credited a total of €109,880.28 during this 12 month period. Once the funds went through, they were then withdrawn in cash, transferred electronically and used in point of sale transactions, causing little money to be left in the account until the next credit was made.
Gardai said it is suspected each of the twelve people who credited money to the bank account are victims of romance fraud. Officers arrested the account holder this month and investigation continues.
From January to May this year, there have been 31 such cases reported to gardai, 23 by women and eight by men. In all cases except for one of the victims, they encountered the suspect over a dating app or through social media.
Officers have issued the following advice to any person on a dating site or in communication with a person they never met over social media
"1. Use reputable dating sites and use their messaging service. Do not move to social media or texting too quickly. Be especially wary of unsolicited links or approaches or suggested likes.
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"2. Be careful what you share on social media and online dating websites. Do not reveal your full name or home address. Protect your identity.
"3. Be wary of anyone asking lots of questions about you but not revealing much about themselves. They will come across as being the ideal person. They will like what you like. Their interests will mirror yours. If you like classical 18th century French Poetry, then so will they. They family situation will mirror yours. They will want what you want. They want you to provide live videos but they can’t / won’t. Watch out for snippets of conversation which are out of sync with previous chats. These fraudsters are engaging with multiple victims at the same time, following scripts prepared for them and they can get mixed up on occasions as to which victim they are talking to.
"4. Never send money or give your bank details to somebody you have never met, no matter how much you believe and trust them. Do not download apps like AnyDesk at their behest or allow them control over your device
"5. Do not send them money or pay for medical bills, purchase flights, or VISAs, pay customs fees or make any payment for them to come to visit you.
"6. Do not invest your money in any ‘opportunities’ offered by them or anyone whom you only ‘met’ online. Always seek independent financial and legal advice first.
"7. Remember individuals can pretend to be anyone they want to be online. You can google an image to see if it comes up on several sites or profiles.
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"8. Never provide copies of your personal documents such as passports or driving licences.
"9. Never make arrangements or travel to meet them unless you are sure of their identity. Make sure you confide in someone and ensure that the person is aware you are confiding in someone else.
"10. Save copies of correspondence with him.
"11. Don’t be embarrassed about reporting it to Gardai, you are not alone. These are professional fraudsters who use social engineering tactics over protracted periods of time
"12. If you think you have fallen victim, contact your bank immediately. The quicker you act the better chance of recouping any lost funds."
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