Romance scams have risen by 52% for 55-64 year olds according to banking group

Lloyds recorded a 52% rise in romance scams among victims aged over 55 over the past year, compared with the previous year.

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Its analysis was based on scams reported by Lloyds Banking Group customers, which includes the brands Halifax and Bank of Scotland, as well as Lloyds.

It compared romance scam reports in the 12 months to July 2025 with scam reports made in the previous 12-month period.

Lloyds said 55 to 64-year-olds are the most targeted age group, making up a fifth (20%) of romance scam victims, followed by those aged 65 to 74, who make up 18% of cases, according to its data.

Alongside the jump in reports involving over-55s, Lloyds has also seen a 20% annual rise in cases involving victims aged 35 to 44.

Victims aged 75 to 84 lose the most on average to romance scams, at £8,068, Lloyds said. The average loss across all age groups is £5,219.

Romance scammers will often claim to be doing certain jobs to give an excuse for why they may be hard to contact or cannot meet up in person.

Scammers will often ask victims to send money to them via bank transfer, but other tactics include asking the victim to purchase online gift cards and send them instead. These are easy for the scammer to sell on and profit from, Lloyds said.

In one case highlighted by Lloyds, an 80-year-old woman met someone online through a word game.

The person claimed his son was working on an oil rig near Germany.

He then claimed his son was in a car accident and had died, and that he was going to work on the oil rig to finish the job in place of his son.