Lost money to a
Romance Scam?
We help victims of Romance Scams recover their money.
What to do if you’ve lost money in a Romance scam
At Refundee, Romance scams are becoming more prevalent than ever.
In many cases, we can help, especially when the money was sent from a UK bank account. As a regulated claims management company, if you’d like our help, just complete our online claim form or give us a call. Remember, you can do it yourself for free by taking your case to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
Why Choose Refundee to recover your funds?
✅ Over £120 million recovered for fraud victims
✅ Regulated by the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority)
✅ Helped over 6,000 clients
✅ The UK’s best-rated
✅ No win, no fee - You only pay if we are successful
How to spot Romance Fraud
1️⃣ You came across the person on social media or through a dating site
You may receive an out of the blue message on social media contacting you requesting to chat about normal things. Fraudsters also regularly use dating sites such as Tinder to find victims. They will act interested at first and conduct a normal conversation before looking to switch to WhatsApp or social media.
2️⃣ A seemingly legitimate story
After initially contacting you and asking details about yourself, they will respond with a well thought of story about themselves. These can be different types of stories, however we usually see that they work away for work for example in the army, or at sea where they are away from home for months at a time. This is a tactic to create a back story for what comes next. They also use the story as to why they cannot meet in person.
3️⃣ Pressure for funds
After they have gained the victims trust, fraudsters will use this to their advantage. They will look to request funds from the victim and use multiple different reasons as to why they need the funds. Depending on the initial story they created, they will pressure the victim to send them funds. At Refundee we have seen multiple reasons for this with some of the most common being;
They are an expert trader on crypto or investments and they can make you money too
They need money to help their family as their funds have been frozen
They need money in order to return home from their job
They have been falsely imprisoned and need money to leave
It is important to know that fraudsters are experienced in creating their story and they can make it seem very believable. It is always good to step back and think, why is someone I have never met asking for money from me?
4️⃣ You were encouraged to “start small” by sending small amounts first
Fraudsters will usually ask you to send smaller amounts first, but as you do this they will increase the amounts they ask for, and the reasons as to why they need it will become even more and more serious. In investment/crypto cases this will increase with you receiving returns at the start or they will show you how much your investment has made, which is faked by the scammer.
You can read more about crypto and investment scams on our website.
5️⃣ The request for funds don’t stop
Once you have sent the fraudster money, they will not stop until you no longer have any more money to send. They are relentless and will pressure you to invest your life savings until you realise they are not real. If you think you are the victim of this, it is important not to send any more money.
6️⃣ They threaten you when you stop paying
Once the fraudsters stop receiving payments they will threaten or blackmail you into sending further funds. It is important not to send funds as this will continue until you eventually cut contact with them. You can read more about this on our Sextortion post.
If you are experiencing any of the issues above, or concerned about your situation you can check if you’re eligible by, starting your claim.
What our Romance Clients say
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What our Romance Clients say *
“Refundee were amazing in helping me recover funds. I was a victim to romance fraud and I genuinely did not believe I would recover any of my money. I didnt think the bank would take me seriously. Refundee pushed and supported me to speak to the bank, provided me with in depth advice of the laws I could rely on, and helped me build a case and with the statement to my bank. I obtained every single penny of my money back!”
“The level of support I received from Refundee was unparalleled. They handled all interactions with my bank and the Financial Ombudsman Service, ensuring that I was not burdened with the stress of navigating the complex bureaucracy. As someone who has spoken with fellow victims of similar romance scams, I fully understand how fortunate I am to have found Refundee.”
— Romance Scam Victim
— Romance Scam Victim
“Refundee were simply wonderful. In a situation where I thought I would have no hope of claiming the money back that I had lost through a ‘romance scam’ I received much more back than I ever thought possible.”
— Romance Scam Victim
Romance Scam FAQs
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We’ve helped many victims of romance fraud get their money back through the banks and the Financial Ombudsman Service.
To check if you’re eligible, start your claim.
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The first thing to do is to stop sending any further funds and cut contact. If you have concerns then Refundee can talk you through what you are experiencing.
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At Refundee we use UK banking regulations to recover clients funds, which has meant we have recovered over £120 million for our clients so far.
Most UK banks have signed up to regulations to protect consumers funds against fraud.
To check if you’re eligible, start your claim.
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Refundee can help in most cases, even if the scammer is based overseas. If you used a UK bank to send the funds then you still have a claim.
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This is normal for banks to reject your claim. Even if your bank said no, Refundee can still help. Many of our cases are rejected by the banks. We can take your case to the Financial Ombudsman Service who can overrule the banks decision.
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The process can take anywhere from 3-12 months depending on the complexity of the case.