Ombudsman sees more than 500 romance scam complaints

More than 500 complaints related to romance scams were received by the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) between January 2025 and March 2026.

Romance scams happen when fraudsters convince often vulnerable people to send money to them, by gaining their trust and convincing them that they are in a relationship.

Generally, the service said cases that it sees involve scammers using social media and gaming apps to lure victims, enticing them towards more private messaging apps.

Criminals will sometimes search for profiles of widowed people or divorcees, the FOS said.

Patrick Hurley, ombudsman director at the FOS, said: “Being the victim of a fraud or scam can be deeply distressing and sadly for many people the financial implications can be life-changing.

“Romance scams particularly can leave an emotional scar and the impact on victims is often significant.

“Our service offers free, fair and final answers to your financial complaints. So, if you’re unhappy with how your financial provider has handled your issue, you can bring a complaint to us.”

Here are some tips from the FOS to help prevent romance scams:

1. Do not send money to someone you have only met online.

2. If someone pressures you into transferring money, stop and ask yourself if it could be a scam.

3. Listen to your bank if they warn you about a scam and answer their questions accurately.

4. If someone tries to convince you to invest money with a firm, check the Financial Conduct Authority’s register to confirm that it is authorised.