The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) reported a loss of $175,694,583 to scams in 2020.
December 2020 had seen the largest amount of losses with $22,344,349 while the month with the highest number of reports was September 2020 with 27,257 cases.
The ACCC revealed the top five scams with the highest losses in 2020 were investment scams, dating & romance, false billing, threats to life, arrest or other, and remote access scams.
These types of scams are nothing new, however, the number of reports made about dating and romance scams continues to be alarming.
Comparing the number of reported scams in Australia to the number of reported dating scams
Beautiful, easy data visualization and storytelling
ScamWatch reported that dating scammers often use dating websites and applications to bait their prey but also use social media platforms and email.
ScamWatch described that scammers often take advantage of their prey’s emotions by immediately confessing their feelings to their victims and make their victims feel like they are at the centre of attention.
ScamWatch noted that in 2018, out of the 3,981 dating scam reports, 801 cases were made by people aged 45 to 54 years old.
670 cases were reported by 55 to 64 years old and 35 to 44 years old reported a number of 582 cases. Additionally, there were 500 reports made by people aged over 65 years old.
In 2020, there was a further decrease in the number of dating scams with only 3,708 cases being reported. However, the age group with the highest number of reports made about dating scams was still people aged 45 to 54 years old.
The number of dating & romance scam reports
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With the divorce rates highest among 45 to 54 years old (17.8 per cent among men), the rate of this age group using dating services is at 15.1 per cent.
Seeing that the same age group has reported the highest number of dating scam cases, the data below shows that older people as well as divorcees should take caution.
The rate of divorce compared against the rate of dating services usage (%)
Beautiful, easy data visualization and storytelling
Why is this alarming? According to a study written by Whitty and Buchanan, victims of dating & romance scams not only lose their money, being scammed have also affected their emotional and psychological state.
The victims in the study reported that they were unable to trust as easily as before. Additionally, the victims reported that their self confidence took a tremendous hit and they were less willing to put themselves out there and socialise with others.
ScamWatch has advised dating users to never transfer money to strangers, avoid giving out any personal information and always be on the lookout for suspicious behaviours such as conflicting information the suspected scammer has given.
(Featured Image: “Datings Apps” by nodstrum is licensed under CC BY 2.0)
