‘Hey babe’: AFP warns of romance scams preying on the lonely, as Aussie victims revealed

Australians “who thought they had found love” have been unwittingly committing crimes after being enlisted by criminals pretending to love them, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) reports.

Fresh warnings now detail how the romance scams work and how a “victim’s heartstrings” can get them tied up in illegal activities from drug sales to firearms trading.

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The AFP is now cracking down on a wave of money mule scams tricking Australians to “unwittingly commit money laundering offences”.

“Fifteen Australians, who thought they had found love, were identified as being money mules under a national anti-money laundering campaign,” the AFP said.

The scam is a way for criminals to hide their tracks, and move money offshore using legitimate Australian bank accounts.

What makes this romance scam unique is that the victims are not usually left out of pocket.

AFP Commander Cybercrime Operations Chris Goldsmid said: “The criminal will generally give the victim extra money as a gift and to help strengthen their trust.”

People who are found to be knowingly complicit in these types of illegal schemes can face jail terms of up to 25 years.

“Money mules need to understand that the funds they’re moving are proceeds from serious criminal activities, such as drug sales, the black market firearms trade or cyber scams, and this money will be going to violent, transnational crime syndicates,” Goldsmid said.

But victims of romance crimes are not just offered gifts and money, they are also presented with what appear to be grand gestures of love.

“Criminals will invest a significant amount of time – sometimes years – building what seems to be a legitimate relationship with their victim,” Goldsmid said.

“They will express their love for the victim and in some cases, promise marriage but will often have a complicated story about why they cannot meet in person.

“Anyone can be a target and they will use a range of extravagant excuses to pull on their victim’s heartstrings.

“Romance scams are a common method for criminals to enlist money mules because they put pressure on them emotionally.”

In 2021, over 3400 dating and romance scams were reported to the ACCC.

It said scammers “often use ‘love bombing’ techniques, such as professing love and affection very quickly, to try to influence victims.

Proceeds of crime arrests

Twenty-one Australian arrests, and 2469 globally, have been made under the anti-money laundering campaign set up by the AFP in conjunction with Europol.

“Those charged in Australia are accused of dealing in proceeds of crime,” the AFP said.

“Transferring money on behalf of someone else may seem relatively harmless, but if they were not legitimately earned funds, it makes you complicit in the illegal activities and is a criminal offence.”

The ACCC recommends doing a basic background check on love interests met online, and looking out for red flags.

“Do an internet search with the name or photo of your love interest or some of the phrases they have used to try to identify if it is a scam,” ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said.

“Never send money or give personal or financial information to someone you’ve only met online.”

While most romance scams begin online on social media platforms, dating apps, via email and text, the AFP said that “some romance scams start in the physical world.”

People who believe they have been lured into being a money mule should report it to Report Cyber and notify their banks immediately.