Romance Fraud Is Surging Among Young Women | #DatingScams | #LoveScams | #RomanceScans

Samantha Cooper, a romance fraud private investigator, says that part of the reason people feel ashamed after romance fraud is due to society’s judgmental, victim-blaming mentality. “Victims of romance fraud are often kind and trusting, which are wonderful qualities to have,” she says. “If we could change the public’s perception of this crime I feel a lot more people would come forward and we could better understand the true statistics.” She believes that more minor cases, where people are losing smaller sums of cash, aren’t being reported at all due to shame and stigma. “If someone buys something on eBay and they open it up and get a brick inside, they’d be happier to tell that story. But when there is emotion involved, people really do close down on it and find it a struggle to speak up.” Cooper adds that it can be hard to speak up about any romantic relationship that goes wrong, something that’s magnified in cases of romance fraud. “Whether it’s liking someone more than they like you, getting divorced or just being too keen, people often feel ashamed of their actions and feelings in romance. Everyone is so keen to judge, label and blame people for relationship mistakes, it makes it hard to be open and honest.”