News

COVID-19: warning over people posing as nurses on dating sites

Latest scam involves people pretending to be hospital nurses who need money to get to work

Picture shows a man looking at a dating site on his laptop.
Picture: iStock

Individuals are reportedly taking advantage of the pandemic by posing as hospital nurses on dating sites and asking for money to help them get to work.

National Crime Agency director general Lynne Owens said: ‘We’ve seen reports of a dating fraud where people are pretending to be... a nurse in a hospital and say, “I need money to help me to get to work,”  and abuse people that way.’

People selling fake or non-existent items related to the pandemic

Others are playing on people’s fears during the health crisis by offering fake or non-existent items for sale, including personal protective equipment, medicines and hand sanitiser, she said.

COVID-19 is now linked to around 3% of scams, with online shopping fraud up 46% since the start of the lockdown.

Investigators also fear organised crime gangs could try to exploit the government's financial stimulus package.

View our COVID-19 resource centre


In other news

Register for free updates Register for free updates

We have made it easy for you to stay up to date with the latest developments in nursing, including relevant COVID-19 information.

Register with us for free – it takes less than a minute – and you'll receive news and updates straight to your inbox.

Register here today

Jobs