According to research by Barclays, the majority of people who have been tricked into giving money to others they met on online dating sites lost over $2,600 USD. 37% of victims gave over $6,500 to fraudsters posing as a love interest, with the 45-64-year-old age bracket at the highest risk. While fraudsters can piece together highly complex, comprehensive and interwoven online profiles to lend credibility to their false identities, the non-technical nature of the schemes showcase the role of trust and social engineering component of much cyber crime.
Source: Dating site scam victims lose £2,000 to fraudsters – BBC News
