Experts’ five tips for romance scam victims to get money back

Even before the new rules come in, your bank should be the first port of call if you realise you have been scammed.

Stuart McFadden runs Refundee, a business helping people to reclaim money after they have been defrauded.

He says there is often “very low awareness” of what is possible, and misleading information on the internet.

He said: “It really annoys me to be honest. People [online] just think they’re experts. But no – your money isn’t lost.”

A voluntary code of conduct introduced in 2019 made reclaiming money lost to fraudsters much easier, though it has been applied inconsistently.

So Mr McFadden says it pays to be aware of the rules – and to be persistent.

He said: “Banks are supposed to know the most common fraud trends, which absolutely includes romance fraud. They are expected to probe quite a bit with the aim of breaking the spell the person is under.

“Where this has happened – especially where the behaviour is unusual – you would be expecting the bank to intervene. If they don’t do that properly, you have a good chance of getting your money back.”

And if you are still not satisfied, you may be able to take the case to the Financial Ombudsman.

Ms Woods has already exhausted this route, with Barclays saying it will not refund her.