Money Sent to Romance Scammers Jumps 37 Percent in a Year, as TSB Warns Public of Victims Trapped in Relationships Spanning Months

WHY THIS MATTERS: The significant surge in romance scam losses—a 37% jump in funds transferred—is far more than a sobering crime statistic; it is a critical bellwether for the entire digital banking sector. This data underscores a systemic vulnerability in the era of Authorized Push Payment (APP) fraud, where the immediate transfer speed of modern payment rails is being weaponized against consumers. The average loss of £7,500, often across 11 separate transactions over three months, indicates that current bank detection systems are struggling to keep pace with the psychological grooming tactics employed by fraudsters. As regulatory scrutiny tightens on financial institutions to protect vulnerable customers, this report highlights the urgent need to elevate fraud detection and intervention from a cost center to a core component of user protection. The industry’s focus must now pivot to advanced, real-time behavioral analytics to stem the flow of money before it leaves the victim’s account, not just after the fact.

TSB’s latest report into romance fraud shows that money sent to scammers jumped by 37 percent in a year1, with a 15 percent increase in case volume. 

Romance fraud remains one of the most devastating forms of fraud – for both the emotional and financial impact. According to UK Finance2, £20.5m was lost to romance scams in the first six months of 2025 – with almost 3,000 cases. 

TSB’s Richard Daniels warns that fraudsters will often groom victims for several months, building trust before making a request for money. Once someone agrees to make a payment, fraudsters will keep creating reasons to ask for more. TSB analysis of customer data shows that victims send an average of 11 payments per case, losing £7,500 on average before discovering the scam.  

TSB figures also show the average relationship – from the first to the last payment – lasts 95 days. However, TSB supported one case with education and security measures in which almost 50 payments were made to a fraudster over a 42-month period. 

TSB prevents a high level of potential romance fraud losses – by spotting likely fraudulent accounts and then having conversations with customers. 

Fraudsters use persuasive techniques to keep their targets trapped in relationships, alongside alibis to account for their absence. TSB found in over two fifths (43%) of cases, fraudsters claimed they were ‘living abroad,’ followed by celebrity impersonation scams (29%), serving in the army (18%), and working on an oil rig (10%). 

To extract payments from individuals, almost a half (48%) of fraudsters claimed they were experiencing financial difficulties. Over a third (37%) requested money for travel funds – often with the false promise of paying for transport to meet in person. Almost one in 10 (9%) requests were false claims for medical fees. Showing the darkest side of romance fraud, one in 20 (4%) involved blackmail. 

TSB data shows that over 55s made up 58 percent of all cases. The most scammed age group is 65-74 year olds (23%), followed by 55-64 year olds (19%). Over 75s accounted for 16 percent, as did 25-34 year olds.  

Over half (58%) of all cases stemmed from social media platforms. Romance scams, with contact originating on Facebook3 had the highest number of cases of any platform, accounting for 30 percent of TSB’s cases.  

Over two fifths (42%) of cases started on dating apps – with this figure including all app-based and online dating services. 

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.” 

FF NEWS TAKE: This latest loss data represents a critical inflection point, demanding a fundamental shift in how the industry approaches financial crime prevention. It puts significant pressure on banks to adopt stronger, more sophisticated controls that go beyond simple transaction monitoring. The next phase of the fight against scamming will be defined by the regulatory landscape: specifically, how far new mandates push liability onto firms to protect customers against complex social engineering and how quickly providers scale their AI-driven behavioral analytics capabilities.