‘Dating scams’ are behind a 27 per cent increase in fraud as 1,212 report rackets after meeting strangers online

Dating scams where vulnerable people looking for love have been ripped off has helped fraud surge by 27 per cent in the past year, crime figures released today have revealed.
Experts have warned that more criminals are using websites to spark romances with strangers and then ask them for money.
The racket has developed along with fake online auctions where web-users attempt to buy products online but are never sent their goods.
Some 229,000 frauds were recorded in the last year - up by 27 per cent on the 181,000 of the previous period, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
It came as it was revealed that overall crime has fallen to its lowest level for 32 years despite there being 4,500 fewer police officers.

Down: Official figures show that crime is down nine per cent in the past year, reaching the lowest level since records began

Manipulative: Figures show frauds online, either involving dating or never sending goods, are on the rise

Online dating scams accounted for 1,212 of the frauds reported, while bogus internet auctions made up around 23,000 of the offences.

The rise in fraud has been partially attributed to a change in the way data is collected.

Victims are now encouraged to report crimes to Action Fraud, which acts as a central point of contact for help with financially-motivated internet crime, rather than visiting a local police station.

John Flatley, of the ONS, said: 'The figures are showing that this is a new area of crime that is on the rise.

'It is difficult to determine how much that is due to an increase in the prevalence of crime or an increase in publicity for Action Fraud.'

Rape and other sexual offences have gone up because more victims have come forward following the Jimmy Savile scandal, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Experts have called the 'Yewtree effect' - in reference to the Scotland Yard investigation launched after the paedophile DJ's decades of abuse were revealed after his death.

Overall there were nine per cent fewer crimes in the year to March when compared to the previous 12 months.
This drop to the lowest level since records began in 1981, came despite deep cuts to police budgets and rank and file numbers, official figures show.

Most likely: This graph shows the most prevalent types of crimes committed in the 12 months to March 2013

But the number of reported rapes has risen by two per cent in the past year, with the increase thought to be linked to the knock-on effect of the Jimmy Savile investigation.
Fraud has also soared by 27 per cent though overall crime is down by 9 per cent on last year - the lowest level since the Crime Survey for England and Wales began in 1981, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
In March there were 129,584 full-time police offices, 4,516 less than a year earlier.

Facts: Five in every 100 adults were victims and 14% of all households also suffered crimes

The data was released as the body representing rank and file officers warned forces would be unable to cope with a repeat of the 2011 riots as a result of Government austerity measures.
An additional one million offences - which are not included in the police figures - were dealt with by the courts in the year ending December 2012, the ONS said.
These cover less serious crimes such as speeding offences.

Shame: Figures show that a significant number of households are victims of vandalism, theft and burglary

Picture: Similar number have also been been victims of violent crime

The ONS identified decreases across all the main categories of victim-based crime compared with the previous year, except for theft from the person, which went up nine per cent, and sexual offences which rose by 1 per overall, with a 2 per cent increase in rapes.
This has been attributed to the police inquiry into historic sex attacks launched in the wake of the Savile scandal.
'The latter increase is thought to be partly a "Yewtree effect" whereby greater numbers of victims of sexual offences have come forward to report historical offences to the police,' the ONS said.

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