Listen Back: Local Gardaí are advising people to beware of romance scams | NorthernSound

Local Gardaí are advising people to beware of romance scams.Victims of the scam believe they have met their perfect match online, but the other person is in fac...

Local Gardaí are advising people to beware of romance scams.

Victims of the scam believe they have met their perfect match online, but the other person is in fact a scammer using a fake profile to build the relationship.

They slowly gain the victim's trust with a view to eventually asking them for money.

The extent of the scam is not fully known because many of the victims are too embarrassed to report the fraud to Gardaí.

Sergeant Joe Glackin who is the Crime Prevention Officer for Cavan and Monaghan says in the beginning, the amount of money requested will often be small but increases as the scammer becomes more successful in building the 'relationship' and tricking the victim.

He says romance fraudsters may try to get their victims to send them money by using a number of excuses like covering the cost of travelling to see the victim or a business opportunity which would allow them to live together comfortably.

Sergeant Glackin said if you don't know the person, then you should not be sending any money to them. Ronan Gargan has been finding out more.