ODDA CEO Simon Newman joins Sumsub’s What the Fraud? podcast to discuss romance fraud and victim protection
“It’s a relationship that is manufactured. To the victim, it is real.”
We’ve watched the documentaries and listened to the podcasts, so why are romance fraudsters still getting away with it?
According to figures shared in the episode, romance fraud costs UK victims more than £106 million a year, with victims losing an average of £11,000 each. Many cases also go unreported.
In the latest episode of Sumsub’s What the Fraud? podcast, ODDA CEO Simon Newman joins Anna Rowe, founder of Catch The Catfish, co-founder of LoveSaid and advocate for romance fraud victims. Hosted by investigative journalist Vicky Baker, the episode explores why romance fraud continues to succeed, how scammers use emotional manipulation to influence victims, and what more can be done by industry, regulators and other organisations to tackle the problem.
What the episode covers
- Emotional manipulation and psychological tactics: How scammers use love bombing, trauma bonding and cognitive biases to build and maintain victims’ trust, making manufactured relationships feel real.
- Supporting victims: How friends and family can approach and support someone who may be experiencing romance fraud.
- Organised crime: How organised criminal groups operate romance fraud on a large scale, including through vast scam compounds.
- AI and emerging fraud techniques: How deepfakes and face-swapping technology make fraudulent identities more convincing, and why simply asking for a video call is no longer a reliable way to verify someone’s identity.
- Regulation and platform responsibility: Whether existing measures, including the UK’s Online Safety Act, go far enough to address evolving fraud tactics, and the responsibilities of different organisations in protecting users.
Both guests also call for a joined-up, government-led response to fraud, bringing relevant organisations together to strengthen fraud prevention and victim protection.
Tackling romance fraud and improving user safety remain important priorities for the online dating sector. Simon brings an industry perspective to the conversation, sharing insights into the challenges of combating romance fraud and protecting users.
🎧 Listen to the full episode here
