Despite 64% of Scots believing they are immune to such scams, loneliness and the ease of connecting online are leaving many vulnerable.

Over half of Scots admit to feeling lonely and would use online platforms to meet new people. This creates opportunities for scammers who exploit emotional connections to extract money. Facebook and Instagram are common hunting grounds, with 57% of suspicious messages originating on these platforms.

Santander’s behavioural expert Peter Staffell, and ‘The Traitors’ star Paul Gorton, warn against letting emotions cloud judgement. They stress the importance of vigilance and thorough checks when engaging with new people online.

Mr Staffell explained: “Scammers are experts at presenting themselves as someone you can trust, someone who ‘gets’ you. They play the long game, building a relationship before executing on their scam and, as our research shows, it’s a natural instinct for many of us to willingly lend a financial hand to someone who we have formed an emotional bond with.

“Then they’ve gone. The scam is complete, and the impact extends far beyond the financial losses, leaving emotional scars and often people feeling more isolated than before. You can take control though, a few simple checks when you first start to speak to someone, and before your emotions take hold, can reveal a lot about the person you’re speaking to and save heartache further down the line.”

Paul Gorton, ‘The Traitors’ star, added: “In my experience, it’s surprisingly easy to build deep trust, especially when someone is charming and says all the right things. As we start to feel a connection, whether it’s real or not, we can end up overlooking red flags and ignore any warnings from others around us.

“Stay vigilant to spot a traitor, it’d be too easy if they simply messaged you out of the blue asking for your money. Approach any new relationship with cautious optimism, complete checks and having your wits about you at the start.”

To raise awareness about the dangers of romance scams, Santander has created a poem in the style of William Shakespeare, performed by Paul Gorton and now available on Instagram. The poem highlights common tactics used by romance fraudsters, illustrating that even if someone seems to be saying all the right things, it might still be too good to be true.