Older and vulnerable people are being targeted by “cruel” friendship fraudsters online, one of the UK’s biggest banks has warned.
TSB said criminals are preying on people’s loneliness and desire to make a connection.
People often make just one payment in such scams, but in one case, 60 payments had been made over four years, the bank said.
In this case, a customer in their late 60s was contacted on a message board, where the scammer posed as a young person looking to flee an abusive family and needing financial help.
The relationship spanned four years before it was reported.
In another case, a customer in their late 70s lost more than £4,000 after being targeted on social media.
After forming a friendship, the individual said they were unwell and urgently required help with medical bills.
As a result, the customer sent a series of payments and gift cards, before contact fizzled out and they realised it was fraud.
In a third case, a customer in their 70s befriended a new contact, and after regular conversations the scammer threatened to stop talking to them unless they sent gift cards and payments.
Read more from Sky News
Meningitis symptoms and how it’s treated
Taskforce to improve maternity care
TSB said the average loss per case of impersonation fraud, which involves any form of fraud in which scammers pretend to be a person or an organisation, is more than £3,100, according to the bank’s data.
TSB fraud expert Steph Harrison said: “Scammers are targeting older and vulnerable people’s life savings, by preying on their goodwill and desire for company and friendship, with the cruel and fake promise of online companionship.”
He said members of the public can help by checking in on friends and family, and warned those seeking online friendship to be wary whenever money is involved.
Steph Harrison, a fraud expert at TSB, offered the following tips to make sure you don’t fall prey to one of the scammers:
– Online platforms can be a great way to meet people with similar interests, and to strike up friendships, but remain suspicious and do not give personal information or money away to someone that you cannot verify as real;
– With the use of AI (artificial intelligence), fraudsters can be even more convincing now, with AI-produced images that look authentic;
– It can be difficult to discuss friendships and online contact, but being open, if possible, can make all the difference when it comes to fraud. Get friendly, impartial advice about your online connection from someone close by, who can help you spot holes in someone’s story that you hadn’t thought of yourself;
– People should also check in on friends and family members, particularly those who may be vulnerable, to sense check who they are talking with online, and whether it could be a fraud;
– Fraudsters concoct elaborate and emotive stories to demand money. Be wary of any such requests, and if the conversation turns to money, it is time to stop. No matter how friendly the individual sounds online, it could all be false – and just a cruel ploy to get at your money.
Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said: “So-called friendship fraud is an especially horrible and insidious type of scam and it’s good to see it highlighted in this way to help put us all on our guard.
“Older people who are lonely or bereaved are particularly vulnerable to being targeted, as criminals seek to exploit their isolation and yearning for friendship to part them from their money.”
Google users can see more from their preferred sources in search results – click here to make yours Sky News
She added: “Being scammed in this way can have devastating consequences with victims suffering catastrophic losses, destroying not just their finances but their health, wellbeing and capacity to trust other people.”
The charity works with older people across the county to help keep them safe from scams, Ms Abrahams said.
