Police said victims targeted online “would be directed to go to an office that was sub-let, separate from the main shop, and deposit large quantities of cash where they were told it would be sent to a well-known celebrity with whom they believed they were in a relationship.
The arrests were made in the run-up to Valentine’s Day, which City of London Police – the national lead on tackling economic crime – said is a peak period for so-called “romance frauds”.
Two arrests have been made as City of London Police investigate the alleged scam being operated out of a backroom office on the famous shopping street in central London.
“Romance fraud is one of the most deplorable and cruel crimes“, said Detective Inspector Steve Weller, Specialist Operations at City of London Police.
Love-struck victims were duped into handing over £100,000 in cash at a souvenir shop in Oxford Street for a celebrity they believed they were dating, police have revealed.
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