Cases of romance scams have soared in the UK over the first half of the year, helping to drive the amount lost from fraud to over half a billion pounds.
According to banking trade association UK Finance, some £580 million was lost to fraudsters, down 2% on a year earlier.
Cases of romance crimes - where victims are deceived by people that lead them to believe they are in relationships - jumped by 29% over the half year, however.
Some £18.5 million, up 26% year on year, were lost through such crimes, which are often carried out through dating apps and social media.
“In addition to the financial losses, these crimes often involve callous manipulation of the victim which can cause psychological and emotional harm,” the group's managing director, Ben Donaldson, said.
“Criminals are increasingly using social media, online platforms, texts, phone calls and emails to deceive victims into giving up their personal details and their money.”
Some 77% of fraud cases took place online over the first six months of the year, compared to 17% over the phone and just 1% via email.
UK Finance called on other sectors to do more to prevent cases of fraud from happening in the first place, arguing each had to help stop the crimes on their own platforms.