With Valentines Day approaching the state government is warning South Australians to be on high alert as more than $2 million was lost to romance scammers last year.

According to data from the National Anti-Scam Centre’s Scamwatch, last year Australians lost more than $30 million to dating and romance scammers, including more than $2 million in South Australia.

Nationwide, more than $14 million was lost to romance scammers via social media. 

Romance scammers often profess love and affection very quickly to try to influence their targets, then coming up with elaborate stories about why they need money urgently.

They may also convince people to take out money for a fake investment, often saying it’s in cryptocurrency.

There are practical steps people can take to protect themselves in the world of online dating:

• Do a reverse-image search on Google or TinEye. This can help determine if a profile image is legitimate. 
• Arrange to meet in person in a safe place, or ask to speak via video. If they can’t, it’s a warning sign.
• Watch out for any request to send them money through methods such as money order, wire transfer, international funds transfer, pre-loaded cards, or electronic currency, like bitcoin. It is difficult to recover money sent through these methods.

Minister for Consumer and Business Affairs Andrea Michaels advises people who think they may have been scammed to contact your bank or financial institution as soon as possible.

“Looking for love online can make you vulnerable and unfortunately, this is what scammers look for as they seek to gain your trust before leaving you both broke and broken hearted.

“Seeking love online is common, you’ve just got to exercise some caution to ensure you end up being romanced, not robbed.”

For more information about romance scams visit the Consumer and Business website. To report a scam go to Scamwatch.