 I'm Lisa and I'm a fraud case worker based within victim support in Sussex. My role revolves around providing tailored support to victims of all fraud types. I work with individuals to help provide them with emotional and practical support mechanisms so they can try to cope with the impact of a crime and develop coping strategies in moving forward with their life. Fraud is increasingly taking centre stage as a major UK crime and this is reflected in the growing number of people referred to our specialist fraud team. Fraud is when someone tricks or deceives you in order to gain a dishonest advantage and criminals will seize every opportunity to exploit their victims. Owing to the fast-changing situation during the current COVID pandemic this unfortunately creates the ideal set of circumstances for criminals to carry out their fraudulent activities. Victims of fraud commonly feel embarrassed about what has happened and may be reluctant to share with others what has happened to them. All of us can be susceptible to fraud and every day criminals invent new ways to achieve their ultimate aim of obtaining money from vulnerable people. An emerging type of fraud we have seen most recently is that relating to romance fraud and this online crime has the potential to increase ever further whilst we experience lockdown style restrictions. Romance fraud happens when you think you've met the perfect partner through an online dating website or app but the other person is using a fake profile to form a relationship with you. They're using the site to gain your trust and ask you for money or enough personal information to steal your identity. We support both male and female romance fraud victims of all ages. This is a truly devastating crime as it can have both wide-ranging financial and psychological consequences on its victims. People may take out loans, remortgage their homes or give over their life savings because they are convinced that they are helping out the person they have formed a relationship with online and that the money will be returned to them shortly. Sadly the person they are speaking to is false and is not interested in forming a romantic connection with them. Following such a crime victims find it extremely difficult to regain their ability to trust others and experience feelings of emotional loss and a lowering of their self-esteem. They may also need victim support's assistance in managing any financial issues that this crime has created for them. Our top tips for staying safe are never send any money, never allow a person access to your bank account, never transfer money on someone's behalf, and never provide copies of your personal documents such as a passport or driving license. Also a warning flag should be if someone asks you to keep the relationship secret. Plus do not share intimate photos online as these could potentially be used as a blackmail threat against you in the future. Victim support would like to remind everyone that our service is free and independent. We are here 24-7 if you need support following romance fraud. Victim support Sussex now also provides a peer support service for victims of romance fraud. This is currently run as an online support group and is a safe and confidential environment where victims can meet with individuals who have undergone similar experiences to themselves. Many people do have positive experiences when dating online and it's about having the right information so that individuals can safeguard themselves and not become a victim of this truly despicable crime.