Sandra Harris Writes

  LOVE RATS: THE RISE AND RISE OF ROMANCE FRAUD. REVIEW BY SANDRA HARRIS. © I’ve been watching a documentary show on Netflix recently called LOVE RATS, narrated by former EastEnders actress Daniela Denby-Ashe. It features some of the most unbelievable footage I’ve ever seen of real people who’ve suffered through what we now call ‘romance fraud.’ Though it’s only recently that we’ve found a name for it, it’s something that’s probably existed since the dawn of time. The strange thing is that nearly all of the victims- mostly female, but one or two men as well- have such exactly similar stories to tell that it’s like there’s an actual template for this kind of crime. The victims are often middle-aged women who’ve been widowed or they’ve just come out of a long marriage. They may have married when very young and have therefore almost no experience of dating in the modern era. They decide they’re ready to meet someone again and they go to online dating sites like Tinder or Plent...