Luxury Goods dealers are one of the rarer formats used by scammers but nonetheless they are there. Here are some of the favourite examples that they use:
- The criminal may tell you that they are buy and sell exclusive jewellery, including watches.
- Luxury cars. Buying and selling high worth cars and delivering them abroad.
- Vintage wine and other exclusive alcohol.
- Diamonds and rare gems.
- Gold and other rare metals.
- Property/real estate dealers.
- Essential oils.
The victim will be manipulated in the same way as other romance fraud scenarios. You can read about this here. Once the trust has been secured, the criminal will disclose that they have a contract that needs fulfilling, or there may be the offer of investment in the business or the chance to trade in diamonds or gold.
Other financial exploitations may happen in this format depending on the criminals in question. You can find other ways these fraudsters exploit money here.
Romance Fraud Beyond Dating Platforms
Although romance fraud criminals continue to make extensive use of dating and social media platforms, they will look for opportunities anywhere that allows people to communicate, interact or build connections. A dating profile is not a prerequisite: scammers can exploit comment sections, direct messages, chat functions and online communities across a surprisingly wide range of platforms. This can include seemingly unlikely environments such as eBay, Etsy and online games including Words With Friends and Scrabble GO. Wherever there is an opportunity to start a conversation with a stranger, build familiarity and gradually move that interaction elsewhere, there is potential for a romance abuse approach. The important point is therefore not simply which platform someone is using, but whether that platform provides an opportunity for an unknown person to establish contact and develop a relationship.