St Valentine's Day is a good opportunity to warn against online scams with love in the foreground. Their victims are usually single people looking online for the ‘other half of an orange’. The more desperate the person looking for love, the easier the target becomes for matrimonial criminals. Last year, 144 crimes of this kind were recorded, and their victims lost 10 million PLN.

See also: Inflation hits love. On average, we will spend 75 percent more on Valentine's Day this year than the previous one

As the police explained in a communiqué, a matrimonial scam is another way of saying it is a romance scam, a pick-up scam. The perpetrators pose online as someone they are not. Most often, they have multiple fake accounts. They create an online identity from scratch to gain potential victims' trust and defraud them.

Using the fictitious identity of, for example, an American soldier or doctor, a wealthy businessman or celebrity, the criminal presents a fictitious and heartbreaking story during an online conversation to elicit sympathy and gain the boundless trust of the person being communicated with. Although the scam is often described as: ‘for an American soldier, for a doctor,’ in practice, the nationality given varies, as does the profession.

See also: Revolut fights phone scammers. Customers can talk to consultants via the app

Police experts remind us that matrimonial scammers usually play on emotions, e.g., they want to evoke a feeling of attachment, promise a shared future, compliment their victim, assure of boundless love, etc. It is essential not to be manipulated. Be careful if the person you meet online asks you to transfer money or fundamental data, e.g., relating to your bank account. It is important to note that sometimes, before cash comes into play, scammers may steer the conversation towards intimate topics to trick you into taking erotic photos or recordings. They can be used for blackmail if the victim does not want to hand over the money.