Hundreds of Surrey residents were among the victims of dating scams that cost UK victims over a quarter of a billion pounds in three years, according to new data released by Action Fraud.
In response to a Freedom of Information request sent by fraud recovery experts Action Fraud Claims Advice, the national reporting centre for fraud revealed that there were 21,976 reports of dating scams received between 2022-23 and 2024-25.
Based on self-reported losses, Surrey victims parted with a collective £4,915,015 after being manipulated by scammers pretending to pursue a romantic relationship.
Some 481 reports were traced to Surrey, making the average loss experienced by a victim in the region £10,218.
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In total, reported losses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland from 2022-23 to 2024-25 reached £271,430,524.
Statistics collected by Action Fraud Claims Advice, which cover the period from April 2022 to March 2025, show a concerning rise in scam reports.
Action Fraud was contacted 8,122 times in 2024-25, a 17 per cent increase on both 2023-24 (6,928 cases) and the financial year before that (6,926 cases in 2022-23).
Losses reached nine figures for the first time in a financial year, with the estimated total taken by scammers reaching a massive £102,239,843.
Men fell victim to the most scams, according to the reports. They flagged 10,634 incidents, losing £98,794,504. While women had fewer reports (8,892), they lost £145,559,718 at an average of £16,370 per incident – nearly twice as much as men.
While the average loss by report was around £10,000, many reported much higher losses. Some 533 said between £50,000 and £100,000 was given to – or taken by – a scammer.
Another 390 said they lost between £100,000 and £250,000, with 101 more cases involving an estimated loss of between quarter of a million and half a million pounds, and 57 told Action Fraud that they parted with £500,000 or more because of a dating scam.
JF Law is a leading British law firm whose fraud team helps scam victims.
A JF Law spokesperson told Action Fraud Claims Advice: “Dating fraud is a shameless and cruel crime, and unfortunately one which is being seen more and more in the UK.
“Fraudsters prey upon people’s trust and desire for companionship to line their own pockets.”
Action Fraud Claims Advice spoke to Lisa Mills, senior fraud manager at Victim Support, earlier this year. Mills said: “Romance fraud is a devastating crime. For victims, it isn’t just a question of losing large sums of money.
“The psychological and emotional impact of being deceived by someone you trusted deeply can knock your confidence and sense of self-worth enormously.
“If you have been a victim, you are not to blame – fraudsters are skilled manipulators.”
Victims of dating scams can contact Action Fraud by visiting www.actionfraud.police.uk. They can also get in touch with Victim Support online or by calling 08 08 16 89 111.