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Romance scam victim recovers £45,000 from dating app scam
Published September 2, 20260 min read
Amount lost
£92,000
Amount recovered
£45,000
Duration
3 months
Our client downloaded a dating app whilst on holiday and matched with a profile they believed was real. They started talking and fostered a relationship together, which happened quickly. The scammer was very forward and open about their feelings and confessed their love for our client within the space of a few days.
Over the following months, the fraudster fabricated an elaborate story, claiming their father was ‘financially connected’ and had exclusive access to a crypto coin issued by the Singapore government, allegedly called ‘HGL’. She presented this as a high return investment opportunity, claiming they had an exclusive chance to invest.
The scammer enticed our client with promises of substantial profits. Acting on these false assurances, our client made numerous deposits into the scheme. However, despite ongoing claims of success, the promised profits never materialised, and instead, our client suffered significant financial loss.
They found Refundee
Our client, looking for options, found Refundee. They spoke with one of our expert fraud investigators, who provided clear guidance and support on their options for recovery.
Our team conducted an extensive review of the case and submitted a bespoke report to the bank outlining why our client should be refunded under UK banking regulations.
The bank rejected the initial complaint stating that the client authorised the payment so there was nothing they could do.
We escalated the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service, outlining why the bank should be liable to refund our client the money they lost.
The investigator requested further evidence to review the case, which we helped the client gather. After reviewing the case, the investigator upheld the client's case and instructed the bank to refund £45,000 that our client lost to a romance scam.
Summary
A dating app match confessed love within days, then introduced an exclusive crypto coin supposedly issued by the Singapore government. Our client lost £92,000. After the bank's rejection, the Financial Ombudsman upheld the case and instructed a £45,000 refund.
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