At Bristol Private Detectives we deal with many cases involving scams a large majority of our cases relate to online dating scams.
This is where Scammers often disguise themselves on dating profiles as they know individuals are on there to make connections and relationships from the site and they will often use this to their advantage to scam victims.
Top tips to stay safe online:
- Do not provide personal information such as your home address
- Do not send any form of payment to the individual often scammers will explain they have had a tragedy they need payment for to make their victims feel sorry for them
- Stay on the dating site to talk to the individual rather than using another platform such as Whatsapp.
- If there is an option on the dating app ask to video call them to see if the image on their profile matches them
If you are not sure the person you are speaking to is who they say they are and you feel you would like to check out the individual you are talking to online at Bristol Private Detectives we offer full background checks to ensure you know exactly who it is you are dealing with for more information on our investigations take a look at Investigations & Background Checks or call us on TEL: 01173270114 to discuss in more detail.
However, If you believe you have been a victim of a scam please do not feel embarrassed to come forward report this immediately to the police through https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/ to avoid this from happening to somebody else in your situation.