If you’ve lost money to a romance scam, you’re not alone, and you may be able to get your money back with the right help.
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A look at the impact of our work, set against the growing reality of romance fraud today.
£193M+ recovered and back in the hands of those who were exploited by fraud.
11,000+ people across the UK have turned to us for support after falling for fraudulent scams.
£39.2 million lost to romance scams in 2025, the highest ever recorded.
Romance scams, also called dating scams, catfish scams, or romance baiting, involve someone pretending to be in a relationship to gain trust and steal money. They often start online through dating apps like Tinder, Hinge, or Plenty of Fish, or via social media such as Facebook and Instagram. Scammers use fake profiles, sometimes with stolen photos, and quickly build an emotional connection through messages and promises of a future together.
Once trust is gained, they ask for money under false pretences, inventing emergencies, travel problems, frozen accounts, or investment opportunities. The aim is always financial gain, leaving victims emotionally hurt and out of pocket.
There are relatively few relationships that don’t begin online these days. Online dating is the norm — but there are simple ways to protect yourself.
Scammers often use fake or stolen images. Their profiles may feel vague, too perfect, or inconsistent. A reverse image search can reveal if their photos appear elsewhere.
Many catfish scams involve someone claiming to work abroad - in the military, on oil rigs, or in international business. This helps explain why they can’t meet in person and sets up excuses to ask for money later.
Avoiding video calls can be a red flag. While poor internet or shyness are sometimes genuine, repeated excuses should be taken seriously.
All romance scams eventually lead to a money request. It may start small, then grow over time. Look out for messages like: • “I need your help just this once.” • “I’ll pay you back as soon as I can.” • “You’re the only person I can trust.” These messages are crafted to make you feel guilty or responsible. They often use emotional language involving sick relatives, lost passports, or investment opportunities to get you to send money.
Some dating romance scams involve investment fraud. The scammer may build emotional trust, then suggest investing in cryptocurrency or online trading platforms. These are fake, simply designed to steal your money.
Fraudsters build an emotional bond, then slowly convince the victim to invest money. Once they’ve taken as much as they can, they vanish. The term “pig butchering” is what scammers call it, but we prefer “romance baiting,” because it rightly puts the blame on them.
In these scams, fraudsters pretend to be celebrities using fake or secret accounts. They may target fans with friendly messages and, over time, start asking for money, often using excuses like losing access to their accounts or needing help with a personal emergency.
These scams involve fraudsters claiming to be professionals stuck overseas, in the armed forces, on oil rigs, or in high-level business roles. They may seem reliable at first, but eventually say they need help with travel, documents or urgent financial issues.
Romance scammers use a variety of tactics to make contact, often appearing on familiar platforms like Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, and Plenty of Fish. Social media sites, including Facebook, Instagram, and even LinkedIn, are also commonly used.
They create fake dating and social media profiles with stolen or AI-generated photos to appear attractive and trustworthy. These scammers may send out mass messages hoping to catch someone vulnerable, or take time to research individuals and personalise their approach.
Once they’ve made contact, they quickly work to gain your trust. From there, they craft emotional stories, involving emergencies, investment scams, or promises of a future together, all designed to manipulate you into sending money.
If you’ve been affected by a romance scam, report it promptly to your bank and the police. Being taken in by a romance scam is nothing to be ashamed of. Scammers are skilled at faking love and trust. If your bank won’t refund you, our specialist fraud team may be able to help you claim your money back, with care and understanding throughout. Just tell CEL.
Speak to our friendly team today. You are not alone, and you may have a case.
No honest firm can promise that. What we can do is look at what happened and tell you whether we think you have a claim. Our fraud team looks at every payment you made to the scam. If your bank could have done more to protect you, we’ll make a formal complaint to them for you. If they say no, we can take your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service, a free, independent service that settles complaints between customers and financial businesses. You have nothing to lose by enquiring, because we can only take on cases we believe have a good chance of success – and we will always be honest about this.
Yes. You can complain to your bank yourself. If you’re unhappy with their answer, you can take your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Both are free. Our free DIY guide shows you how, step by step. If you’d rather not do it alone, our fraud team can handle it all for you, on a no-win, no-fee basis.
When you’re dealing with a legal issue, whether it’s a scam, a housing dispute, or a case of professional negligence, it’s important to know you’re in safe hands.
We understand that many of our clients come to us after being misled, mistreated, or let down. It’s only natural to feel cautious when choosing a law firm to support you.
CEL Solicitors is a fully regulated law firm. We don’t ask for any upfront payments, and we work on a no-win, no-fee basis wherever possible, meaning you won’t pay us a penny unless your claim is successful.
You can confirm that CEL Solicitors is genuine by checking our credentials:
We are authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). Our SRA number is 633955.
CEL Solicitors is a trading name of Cheshire Estate and Legal Limited (company number: 10370954).
You’ll find us listed on the SRA’s official Solicitors Register – just click the SRA badge at the bottom of this page or visit the SRA website.
We’re also listed on the Law Society’s ‘Find a Solicitor’ tool. This is a free and trusted way to check legal professionals.
If you’re ever unsure, just tell CEL. We’ll help you verify everything for yourself.
“No-win, no-fee” means you won’t pay us anything unless we win your case.
There are no upfront costs and no hidden charges. If your claim is unsuccessful, you won’t owe us a penny. If we win, our fees will be taken from the compensation we recover for you — and we’ll explain all of this clearly before you sign anything.
It’s a simple promise: if you don’t win, you don’t pay.
At CEL Solicitors, we help clients recover money lost to a wide range of Authorised Push Payment (APP) frauds. These scams trick you into authorising payments to fraudsters, often through highly convincing stories or pressure tactics. Common types include:
Investment scams: Promises of high returns through trading, cryptocurrency, or other ‘opportunities’ that turn out to be fake.
Impersonation scams: Fraudsters posing as trusted organisations like banks, the police, HMRC, or utility companies to get you to send money.
Romance scams: Scammers build trust by pretending to be a romantic partner, often overseas, before asking for financial help.
Crypto scams: Fake cryptocurrency investments or exchanges designed to steal your funds.
Advanced fee fraud: Requests for upfront fees to release non-existent loans, prizes, or inheritances.
Purchase scams: Payment for goods or services that never arrive, such as vehicles or electronics.
Invoice scams: Fake or altered invoices sent to businesses or individuals to divert payments.
Job scams: Fraudulent job offers requiring you to pay fees or provide money upfront.
If you’ve been targeted by any of these scams or similar ones, you’re not alone — and we’re here to help you take back control and recover what you’ve lost.
Many people feel this way, especially if they made the payment themselves. But scammers are skilled at lying, and being scammed doesn’t mean you were careless. Even if your bank has refused to refund you, you may still be able to get your money back. Our fraud team knows the rules banks have to follow, and we can challenge their decision for you. If you’re worried about fault, just tell CEL.
Most of our claims are complaints against banks. First, our fraud team looks at every payment you made to the scam and checks whether your bank should have done more to protect you. If so, we make a formal complaint to your bank for you. If your bank says no, we can take your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service, a free, independent service that settles complaints between customers and financial businesses. We’ll keep you updated at every step.
Yes, through our Crypto Investigation Report. This is a separate service from our standard fraud and scam recovery claim. It uses specialist software to show where your crypto went, and the report can be used as evidence to support a police investigation or legal action. A Crypto Investigation Report is not the same as a crypto scam claim. If you lost crypto to a scam, you may also be able to make a claim on a no-win, no-fee basis.
Your claim will be handled by our specialist fraud team. They are experts in bank and Financial Ombudsman Service complaints. They are not solicitors, but they work inside CEL Solicitors, a law firm regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Qualified solicitors oversee the team’s work, reviewing files regularly and stepping in when a case needs closer attention, including complex crypto cases. Your day-to-day contact will always be a member of our fraud team.
Your loss is the money you paid to the scam, minus anything you got back. Any “profit” or balance shown on a scam website or app is usually not real money, so it isn’t part of your loss. Payments between your own accounts can count too, if they were part of the scam.
Once we have all your evidence, our Bank team makes a formal complaint to your bank. This stage usually takes 8 to 12 weeks. If your bank says no, our Ombudsman team can take your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service. This can take anywhere from a few months to around two years. Every case is different, and we’ll keep you updated.
Get in touch now to see how we can help you recover from fraud.