Money sent by victims of romance fraud rose sharply over the past year, with losses jumping 37% and the number of cases increasing by 15%, according to new analysis from TSB.
The bank’s latest research highlights how fraudsters increasingly trap victims in long-running online relationships, often grooming them for months before making repeated demands for money.
Romance fraud continues to rank among the most damaging forms of financial crime, combining significant emotional harm with material losses. Industry data from UK Finance shows £20.5m was lost to romance scams in the first six months of 2025 alone, across almost 3,000 reported cases. TSB’s own customer analysis underlines the scale of the issue, with victims typically making multiple payments before recognising they have been deceived.
TSB found that victims send an average of 11 payments per case, losing around £7,500 on average before discovering the scam. The typical relationship between victim and fraudster — measured from the first to the final payment — lasts 95 days. In one particularly severe case supported by TSB through education and security measures, almost 50 payments were made to a fraudster over a 42-month period, illustrating how persistent and manipulative these schemes can become.
Fraudsters rely on persuasive narratives to maintain control and explain prolonged absences. In more than two fifths (43%) of cases, scammers claimed they were living abroad. Celebrity impersonation accounted for 29% of cases, while 18% involved claims of serving in the army and 10% centred on working on an oil rig. To extract money, nearly half (48%) of fraudsters said they were experiencing financial difficulties. Over a third (37%) requested funds for travel, often promising to meet in person, while 9% cited false medical emergencies. In the most extreme cases, 4% of scams involved blackmail.
Age analysis shows older customers are disproportionately affected. People aged over 55 accounted for 58% of all cases, with those aged 65–74 the most targeted group at 23%. Customers aged 55–64 made up 19% of cases, while both over-75s and 25–34 year olds each represented 16%.
Richard Daniels, Director of Fraud, TSB, said: “Romance scams are some of the most emotional situations that we support customers through – due to both the devastating personal and financial impact on individuals.
“While online dating is an increasingly popular way of meeting people, it’s vital that we all remain guarded – especially now with the use of AI – until we can be sure it’s a real person we are speaking to. And if the conversation turns to money, it’s time to stop.”
TSB said it continues to prevent significant potential losses by identifying suspected fraudulent accounts early and intervening directly with customers, combining real-time monitoring with education and security measures to disrupt scams before further harm occurs.
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