“It can happen to anyone. The victims are not naive people. Many people know that these scams exist. They are often adults, have a professional life, but are trapped by very effective crooks. Aline Hartz is a psychologist/psychotherapist for the non-profit association Kanner-Jugendtelefon.
As part of her mission for the BEE SECURE Helpline, this specialist is confronted with dozens of online love scams every year. They are called Love Scam or Romance Scam… Growing scams, often boosted by artificial intelligence. “Everyone says ‘I would have noticed it straight away’, but in the end we hear ‘how could I have fallen into the trap?’ We need to talk about it, be vigilant.”
Because if the example of Anne, a 53-year-old French woman defrauded of 830,000 euros by a “fake Brad Pitt” based in Nigeria, set the Internet ablaze, Luxembourg is not spared. The expert distinguishes between Love and Romance Scams, which mainly target adults, and sextortion, which consists of threatening to distribute intimate information, photos or videos of you. In this case, the majority of victims are men between 15 and 33 years old. The demand for money reaches lower amounts, but arrives much faster. “For victims, it is very difficult to ask for help,” insists the psychologist, citing “shame, uncertainty and fear.”
“Regarding the romance scam, scammers often take a very long time to establish trust. They do research, invent similarities with the victim (a deceased spouse), send false photos… then ask for money, for example for a sick relative.” Aline Hartz also cites cases where the scammer claims to make money through cryptocurrencies and “manipulates his victim into making false investments”.
According to the expert, among the calls received last year, at least two people had six-figure sums stolen in Luxembourg. Sometimes the amounts are much smaller, but the damage is dramatic. “Some victims question their lives, have suicidal thoughts, isolate themselves,” notes the specialist who underlines the pressure put on by the crooks. “Sometimes they promise to make your life hell. It’s very hard for a young person.” His advice: stop paying and stop reacting, ignore the messages.
In addition to the support of the BEE SECURE Helpline, platforms such as takeitdown.org or stopncii.org advise victims.
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Sextortion has grown
The BEE SECURE Helpline recorded, in 2024, 36 telephone calls and fourteen written requests for cases of sextortion. In 2023, there were 60 calls and 19 written requests. Especially teenagers and young adults. This type of scam has grown in importance in Luxembourg. After a decline during the Covid years, with between 30 and 40 cases per year from 2020 to 2022, the justice system counted, in 2023, 115 cases.
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