He’s stressed; he’s heartbroken; he’s lost a lot of sleep. The woman he had been video calling daily for the last two years has died… no, wait! She’s in prison - awaiting bail.

There had never been any requests to send money - not even now - and so much face-time had been invested in the ‘relationship’ that this man needs some persuading that he’s been the victim of a romance scam.

Deceptive video contact like this used to be impossible, but now…

“All it takes is two phones and a cheap or free app. Criminals are swiping people’s pictures and using deepfake technology to pose as them in live video calls,” wrote Kerry Tomlinson for Ampere News.

Perhaps that world seems unfamiliar, but have you ever been complimented on social media by a stranger with a good looking profile picture? Be on your guard! People are not always who they say they are.

Dyfed-Powys Police have issued a sheet of safety tips for children and young people using the internet, including the following advice:

“Remember that people in chat rooms or on message boards are not always who they say they are. Someone indicating that ‘she’ is a ’12 year old girl’ could be an older man.”

“Never give out identifying information such as name, address, school name and telephone numbers in a public message.”

“Never send a photo or video clip without first checking with your parent or guardian.”

Have you ever commented on a celebrity’s social post, only to receive a reply appearing to be from that celebrity’s personal profile inviting you to share more intimately? Did something seem off? Trust your instincts.

When people talk about their Facebook profile being ‘hacked’ they usually mean ‘cloned’. This is where a scammer has created a fake profile with the same name and picture as a real person. So check before you accept any new (additional) friend requests from people who should already be your friends. The good news is that the original profile is not compromised.

Websites can be cloned too. Last week, the Pembrokeshire Community Hub web team announced that a clone of the Pembrokeshire Community Hub platform had been created under the old name and brand, ‘Connect Pembrokeshire.’

“It is most likely an attempt to capture your email addresses and passwords,” they said.

“Please do not visit connectpembrokeshire.org.uk and do not attempt to log in. If you have already logged in, please reset your password immediately on pembrokeshirecommunityhub.org.uk .

“If you use the same password on other accounts, we strongly recommend updating it everywhere as soon as possible.”

I expect by now you’re used to spotting a dodgy email - it may seem totally unsolicited, it may have grammatical errors or contain terminology that’s inappropriate for the UK. It could contain dire threats or too-good-to-be-true promises. If in doubt, don’t click a link in an email.

But would you spot a scam if it came up in a local Facebook group and mentioned a venue well known to you?

HaverHub - a multi-space community arts, culture and events venue in Haverfordwest, recently issued a warning about a scam post inviting traders to book places in a spring fayre - an event that was not happening.

The post was shared in several Pembrokeshire and Haverfordwest groups - also on the Tenby and Saundersfoot Noticeboard, except this time the stated venue for the event was the De Valence Pavilion.

The post looks harmless enough and it’s easy to imagine some being taken in by this. Scams like this are effectively defeated by local networking and checking with venues directly.

“The next market at HaverHub is the Indoor Market on March 7,” the venue confirmed. “All of our markets will be shared directly on our Facebook page. Please do not fall victim to these scammers.”

One possible false alarm locally was the stir caused by people going from door to door in Pembroke Dock and Haverfordwest with ‘Money Savers’ lanyards. Their opening gambit was to say they had been talking with your neighbours, before starting to ask questions about your household bills and saying they can find you cheaper broadband, gas and electric tariffs.

Don’t be afraid to withhold details from anyone who doesn’t have a right to know them. Even ‘genuine’ people who approach you in this way may not be acting in your best interests. The following is an example:

A Swansea-based double glazing company regularly sends agents to doorsteps in Pembrokeshire, saying that they are currently working in the area and operating special discounts. Since there was some work needed at home, I accepted the offer of a no-obligation home visit.

In due course, the visitor arrived. But he was not a tradesman with measuring equipment and a calculator; he was a salesman with a rather clichéd script that involved an impossibly high quotation, then various reasons why the price could be lowered in this exceptional circumstance. It was a lengthy and unstoppable farce, culminating in a laughably predictable call to the manager to secure an unprecedented discount, amid faux shock at the lowness of the now-standard price and mutterings of “you drive a hard bargain,” and “what’s it going to take to get you to sign today?”

It’s important to be on your guard against unexpected official-sounding calls - especially when they concern your bank account.

Co-operative Bank recently warned: “Be aware, criminals will call you unexpectedly pretending to be from your bank, the police or other trusted organisations.

“They will attempt to catch you off guard, claiming that fraudulent activity has been spotted on your account or that they are concerned about the safety of your money. They may even ask you to move your money to a new, safe account…

“Stop, do not transfer any money.

“You can contact a genuine company to check if a call or text message is genuine by using a trusted number from their website.

“The bank or police will never ask you to assist with an investigation. Don’t rely on the caller ID display on the phone to check if the caller is genuine. Fraudsters can manipulate this.”

Remember: Never share personal information, full account details or one time passcodes with anyone who contacts you, and never share your card PIN with anyone.

Local MP Henry Tufnell has been encouraging older local people to stay scam-aware, pointing out that Age Cymru offers a wealth of resources, including guides on doorstep and mail scams, phone scams, text scams with fake links, identity theft and more.

“Never provide personal data such as your full name, address and date of birth,” urges the charity. “Scammers can use this information to steal your identity.

“Do not allow yourself to be pressured into donating money and never make donations by cash or gift card, or send money through transfer agents.

“If you think you have been the victim of a scam, then speak to your bank immediately and report any fraud to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.”

There is much more information on this subject on Age Cymru’s website. You can also contact Age Cymru Advice at 0300 303 44 98 or email [email protected] for advice and support.