Don't get hooked by this romance scam

She was frantic. Her partner, who had been travelling in the Middle East, had been kidnapped in Syria. His kidnappers had allowed him to use his phone to contact her - they were willing to let him go but for a price.

She couldn't afford the hundreds of thousands they were asking.

As Beth continued, the receiver's heart sunk as she realised what was happening. Beth's partner, whom she had never met face-to-face, had never stepped foot inside of Syria. Because he didn't exist.

Beth had fallen victim to a complex romance scam. It broke her heart because her "partner" had been so convincing in his lies.

And Beth isn't alone. ScamWatch says almost $40,700,000 was reportedly lost in dating and romance scams in 2022 alone. The reality is that much more has likely been lost but not reported to the government body.

Dating and romance scams commonly take place through online dating websites, although scammers may also use social media or email to make contact. This is known as catfishing.

To lure you in, the scammers construct false web personas. They might use an alias or pretend to be someone they're not, such a member of the armed forces, an aid worker, or a foreign-based professional.

In a short amount of time, dating and romance fraudsters will profess intense feelings for you and advise you to transfer the connection off the website and into a more private medium, like phone, email, or instant messaging. They often claim to be from Australia or another western nation while actually living or working elsewhere.

Scammers will go to great measures, such as showering you with love words, providing "personal information", and even sending you presents, to win your interest and confidence. They could take months to develop what might feel like a lifetime romance, and they might even pretend to schedule flights to see you but never do.

Once they have your trust and your guard is down, they will ask you (either directly or indirectly) for cash, gifts, or your banking or credit card information. They may also ask you to share images or videos of yourself, maybe of an intimate nature.

Usually, they claim there is a personal emergency and they need money - fast. For instance, they could say a family member is gravely ill and needs urgent medical care, or that they are experiencing financial difficulty as a result of a string of unlucky events, like a failing business or a mugging on the street.

In Beth's case, her scammer first made contact through Instagram. He spoke with her daily for months, telling her about his work that often saw him travelling abroad. He claimed to be based in New York but would move to Australia to be with her after his current contract had ended.

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission deputy chair Catriona Lowe said romance scammers pulled on their victim's heartstrings.

"Scammers are cold-hearted criminals who use unscrupulous tactics to trick their victims into sharing their personal details and emptying their wallets," Ms Lowe said.

"We know of an Australian woman who lost more than $250,000 after an online relationship with a man who claimed to be an overseas doctor needing money for medical equipment.

"Distressing romance scam stories are sadly all too common and highlight the need for friends, family, businesses and the community to talk more about scams."

If you think you or someone you know has been the victim of a scam, contact the police and Scamwatch HERE