Londoners were scammed out of nearly £50 million in the past three years as a result of dating scams, recent data has found. The practice has been described as a ‘shameless and cruel crime’ that is growing across the UK.
Data obtained through a Freedom of Information request sent by fraud recovery experts Action Fraud Claims Advice claimed that self-reported victims of dating scams based in London lost £47.2m since March 2022. This was as a result of 2,635 cases, with the average loss for each victim reportedly being £17,928.
The figure forms part of a wider £271.4m that people lost as a result of dating scams in the UK from March 2022 to April 2025, which was attributed to 21,976 reports that had been received nationally.
A JF Law spokesperson said: “Dating fraud is a shameless and cruel crime, and unfortunately one which is being seen more and more in the UK.”
They added: “Fraudsters prey upon people’s trust and desire for companionship to line their own pockets. Nobody who falls victim to these scams deserves it.
“What they do deserve is sympathy and support with reclaiming their losses, which is what we do for people around the country every day.”
Action Fraud said that mentions of dating apps came up in only 6 per cent of the reports it received. The Match Group owns and operates the largest global portfolio of online dating services including Tinder, Match.com, OkCupid and Hinge. A spokesperson for the group told MyLondon that it was committed to making its apps the best and safest way to meet new people.
What dating apps are doing to fight back against scams
They said: “Keeping our users safe from scams and fraud is a core focus across our portfolio, and we invest heavily in proactive tools, advanced detection systems and user education to help prevent harm. We use proprietary AI-powered tools to help identify scammer messaging, and unlike many platforms, we moderate messages, which allows us to detect suspicious patterns early and act quickly. We also make it quick and easy for users to report suspicious communication to us in our apps.”
The spokesperson said its platforms had been rolling out scam notifications, as part of the UK’s Online Fraud Charter, which warn UK users who have matched with a user later identified as fraudulent. Links to educational resources to help recognise red flags and warning signs are also provided.
They added: “We also partner across sectors and industries to drive the collective disruption of scams. We work closely with law enforcement and proactively share intelligence. And last year, alongside Meta, Coinbase, and Ripple, we co-founded the Tech Against Scams Coalition (TASC). Spanning dating, consumer tech, social media, and crypto, TASC takes an ecosystem-wide approach to fighting scams — leveraging each member’s unique vantage point to share actionable intelligence and drive coordinated, cross-platform disruption.
“Fighting fraud requires constant vigilance and collaboration. We’re committed to working with industry partners, law enforcement, and experts to stay ahead of evolving threats and keep our communities safe.“
Victims of dating scams can be connected to an expert for support in reclaiming lost funds by visiting Action Fraud Claims Advice.
Have you ever faced scam or fraud issues while living in London? Email [email protected].
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