A man in his 40s has been arrested as part of a Garda investigation into the laundering of proceeds from romance fraud.
The investigation has so far identified 15 possible victims of romance scams, who have been defrauded out of over €275,000.
The man was arrested yesterday by gardaí attached to the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau in the west Dublin area. He is currently being detained at a Garda station in the capital.
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Investigations are ongoing in relation to the €275,000, which is understood to have emanated from romance frauds operating in numerous countries since 2017, according to a Garda spokeswoman.
“As part of an ongoing investigation into the laundering of the proceeds of romance frauds, a man aged in his 40s was arrested by gardaí attached to the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) yesterday, Monday 20th November 2023 in the West Dublin area,” she said.
“The man is currently detained under the provisions of Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act, 2007 at a Garda station in Dublin.
“This investigation has identified a potential 15 victims who have been collectively defrauded out of over €275,000. The money is understood to have emanated from romance frauds operating in numerous countries worldwide from November 2017 to date,” she added.
Gardaí have previously said that victims of romance fraud were conned out of almost €2 million last year, and nearly €6 million since 2019.
In one case, a woman reported to gardaí that she had been duped out of €100,000 after she met a man on a dating app who claimed to have been working abroad and in need of the money.
Some 70 per cent of romance-fraud victims are women, and the criminals involved are highly organised and prey on people’s loneliness.
Gardaí have warned people to be wary of anyone who asks for money to visit you, who encounters problems on such a journey that means they need you to send them money to get them there.
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