An elderly woman from Greater Manchester was targeted into buying £5,000 gift cards from a man she believed was a well-known singer.
The 81-year-old woman was first contacted on Facebook by an individual claiming to be linked to a celebrity. The conversation moved to Telegram, an encrypted messaging app.
Over several months, the woman was persuaded into buying gift cards, believing that the payments would help arrange a meeting with the singer in person.
She did not disclose the relationship or transactions to the police, and the scam was only brought to light when her bank noticed unusual activity and notified the police.
Detective Inspector Stacey Shannon, from the Cyber and Economic Crime Awareness Service (CECAS), said: “[Our team] spent several hours with the victim, helping her understand that the relationship was fraudulent and not genuine.
“From there, they put additional safeguarding measures in place to ensure her ongoing protection.”
After the report, the woman was provided with fraud-prevention advice from an officer and invited to local awareness sessions to prevent being targeted again.
The police also helped her to submit a complaint to her bank in effort to recover the funds and worked with her family to establish further protections.
The specialist team regularly support victims of romance fraud and said that fraudsters claiming to be celebrities is a common tactic to build trust and manipulate victims.
Anna Rowe, Co-founder of LoveSaid, said: “You lose a lot more than money itself. The hole that the intense relationship leaves is huge, and it often leaves a lot of victims with psychological impact.
“It’s important to realise that anyone can be a target. As humans, we are conditioned to trust people, and unfortunately, perpetrators use it to their advantage.
From April 2024 and March 2025, there were 267 reported cases of romance fraud in Greater Manchester, with a reported £2.93m lost for the victims.
You can report fraud by contacting Report Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or via the Report Fraud website.