Shameless and cruel": Hampshire dating scam victims lose over £5.7m in just three years

In response to a Freedom of Information request sent by fraud recovery experts Action Fraud Claims Advice, the national reporting centre for fraud Action Fraud revealed that there were 21,976 reports of dating scams received between 2022/23 and 2024/25.

Based on self-reported losses, Hampshire and isle of Wight victims parted with a collective £5,770,225 after being manipulated by scammers pretending to pursue a romantic relationship.

Only four regions had more cases over the past three years than Hampshire, which was the source of 783 dating scam reports with the average loss experienced by a victim in the region was £7,369, significantly below the average of £10,324 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland from 2022/23 to 2024/25.

Statistics collected by Action Fraud Claims Advice, which cover the period from April 2022 to March 2025, show a concerning rise in scam reports and Action Fraud was contacted 8,122 times in 2024/25, a 17% increase on both 2023/24 (6,928 cases) and the financial year before that (6,926 cases in 2022/23).

Losses reached nine figures for the first time in a financial year, with the estimated total taken by scammers reaching a massive £102,239,843.

Men fell victim to the most scams, according to the reports. They flagged 10,634 incidents, losing £98,794,504. While women had fewer reports (8,892), they lost £145,559,718 at an average of £16,370 per incident–nearly twice as much as men.

The loss was even more stark for transgender victims, who were defrauded to the tune of over £1 million at a shocking average of £27,234 per recorded case. According to Action Fraud, the average age for a fraud victim was 47 years old in 2022/23, rising marginally to 48 the year after, and 49 in 2024/25.

A spokesperson for JF Law , which helps victims, said: “Dating fraud is a shameless and cruel crime, and unfortunately one which is being seen more and more in the UK.

“Fraudsters prey upon people’s trust and desire for companionship to line their own pockets. Nobody who falls victim to these scams deserves it.

“What they do deserve is sympathy and support with reclaiming their losses, which is what we do for people around the country every day.”

Action Fraud Claims Advice spoke to Lisa Mills, Senior Fraud Manager at Victim Support, earlier this year. Ms Mills said: “Romance fraud is a devastating crime. For victims, it isn’t just a question of losing large sums of money.

“The psychological and emotional impact of being deceived by someone you trusted deeply can knock your confidence and sense of self-worth enormously.

If you have been a victim, you are not to blame – fraudsters are skilled manipulators who use social engineering to manipulate thousands of people every year”

Action Fraud Claims Advice is a fraud recovery advice service, where victims of fraud can be connected to an expert for support in reclaiming lost funds. Victims of dating scams can contact the national reporting service for fraud Action Fraud by visiting www.actionfraud.police.uk.

They can also get in touch with Victim Support online or by calling 08 08 16 89 111.