Don’t get scammed this Valentine’s Day or any other day by staying alert

According to research performed by Vodafone with over 1,000 Australian respondents, one-fifth of those who have been victims of scams were targeted by dating and romance scams — everyone needs little love, right?

Even with this high prevalence, nearly one-third of those surveyed had never heard of dating and romance scams and as such many may be vulnerable to such scams ahead of Valentine’s Day later this week.

The emotional devastation coupled with financial losses mean romance and dating fraudsters can hurt people twice as much.
The sheer amount of money lost per victim can be so much higher than a quick credit card scam. Guard your heart and your wallet this Valentine’s Day and remember that true love doesn’t ask for your bank account number.

Amelia Limbrick, Customer Security & Investigations Manager at Vodafone

Of course, these dating and romance scams weren’t the only scams Australians had fallen victim to in the past year, with 23% of respondents admitting to falling victim to a scam in that time. Of this, 10% admitted to falling victim multiple times to scams during this period and 61% knew at least one other person who a scam had targeted in the last year.

Worryingly, 42% of those scammed had lost more than $1,000, with phishing emails and texts reported as the most common type of scam. AI and Deep Fake scams are also becoming more prevalent but nearly two-thirds of survey respondents were confident they could recognise one of these scams.

89% of respondents were confident they could spot a scan with 85% confident those people in their household were also well-equipped to prevent falling for scams. Unfortunately, the figures of those falling for scams belie this.

“While people might feel they can spot a scam, we need to stay vigilant. Modern scammers are masters of manipulation,” Mrs Limbrick said.  “They weave elaborate lies and are even using deepfakes to build trust. If something feels too good to be true, it probably is. Use codewords to verify who you are speaking to, do your research, and never send money to someone you haven’t met.  Taking the time to assess potential threats by slowing down and thinking critically before acting can make all the difference in keeping Aussies safe.” 

Vodafone and other carriers are doing their best to keep you safe online, blocking 155 million scam calls and texts that have been sent to its customers in the past year. In the end the best prevention is for you to be aware of what to look out for and to be careful just who you trust with your personal details.