Scams

New dating app scam could destroy your credit score

Mary Dada

25 Feb 2026 — 2 min read

Swipe right for insurance fraud: How scammers are turning dating apps into recruitment tools for staged car crashes ©Image Credit: Unsplash / Nik

When you think “dating app scam,” you probably picture someone wiring money to a fake partner somewhere. But there is a new romance scam in town and it's potentially worse. The UK’s Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) says scammers are using dating apps to recruit people into staged accident schemes. Instead of asking for cash, they persuade targets to say they witnessed a crash, were in a car during an accident, or suffered an injury.

The goal is to file a bogus insurance claim and collect the payout. While you aren't losing cash upfront, you're assuming all the legal liability for a payout you'll likely never see.

How the scam works

According to the IFB, the scammers build trust through a dating app. After establishing a relationship, they ask for help related to a stage car accident. That help might include:

Saying you witnessed the crash
Confirming you were a passenger in a car involved in the accident
Claiming you were injured in the accident

In many cases, victims are given specific instructions on what to say if contacted by insurance investigators.

The danger you should beware of

If you are caught participating, even “complicitly,” you could end up on the insurance fraud register. That can make it extremely difficult to get car insurance, home insurance and certain financial opportunities. It’s also a goodbye to your credit score.

This new scam is spreading, and yes, people are going to jail. Last year, Nathan Atkins was sentenced to 20 months in prison at Bournemouth Crown Court after persuading women he met online to participate in staged car crashes and file personal injury claims. Insurers paid out, leaving participants to face serious consequences.

Many of these fraudsters are still out there. So, if you’re always moving confidently thinking you cannot fall for the typical romance scam, keep in mind that you do not need to be wealthy to be targeted. You just need a clean record – and a pulse.

If someone you met on a dating app asks you do any of these things or close, report them immediately through the app. Screenshots can also be sent to police and to the UK’s Report Fraud service.

And let’s be clear: even if it feels like it’s not a big deal, agreeing to participate makes you part of the fraud.

Source: The Guardian

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