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London Police Launching Crackdown on Online Dating Scammers

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London’s Metropolitan police are launching a crackdown on online dating scammers.

Announced yesterday, the campaign is part of a larger war on cyber crime and fraud.

Scotland Yard said these scammers had become an increasing concern, using complex methods to target lonely singles.

They spoke of two recent cases in the past few weeks, where one victim lost £170,000 and another £140,000.

The campaign was launched at City Hall by Met Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe and Deputy Mayor Stephen Greenhalgh.

The Met’s new fraud and cyber crime team will also deal with online shopping, hacking and fake internet advertising, and is codenamed Falcon.

With the announcement, police raided the home of a suspected internet fraudster in Sutton.

Met Commissioner Sir Bernard told the Evening Standard he wants London to become a “hostile place” for cyber criminals.

The news comes a month after two dating scammers were convicted of defrauding women on Match.com out of £220,000, using fake millionaire profiles.

And over in Australia, consumer watchdog the ACCC launched a Scam Disruption Project, designed to get in touch with people who might be victims of online dating scams, by checking international transactional data.

Simon Edmunds

Simon is the former editor of Global Dating Insights. Born in Newcastle, he has an English degree from Queen Mary, London and after working for the NHS, trained as a journalist with the Press Association. Passionate about music, journalism and Newcastle United.

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