Romance scam reports rose by 24 per cent in the past year, according to Lloyds Banking Group. The bank compared cases from 1 September 2025 to 31 August 2026 with the previous 12 months and found that while younger adults saw the largest rise in reported incidents, older victims lost greater sums.
Reports from victims aged 18 to 24 surged by 59 per cent, with cases involving those aged 25 to 34 rising by 39 per cent. More than half (55 per cent) of all money lost during the period was taken from victims aged over 65. Those aged 75 to 84 suffered the highest average loss at £9,051, up 19 per cent from the previous year. Across all age groups, the average loss fell by 20 per cent to £4,078.
Younger victims typically met fraudsters on dating apps and social media, whereas over-50s were commonly targeted via traditional dating websites and social platforms.
Liz Ziegler, fraud prevention director at Lloyds, said: "Romance scammers don't care how old someone is. They
