Romance scam 

Watch out - Be aware of scammers exploiting dating or friendship to gain your trust and steal your money. Never assume someone you’ve only met online is who they claim to be. Scammers will go to great lengths to make the relationship seem real, manipulating you into giving them money. 

These scammers use social media, dating and gaming apps, or websites to find you. They may also reach out via SMS or email. Hiding behind fake profiles and identities (even posing as celebrities), they’re experts at making you feel the relationship is genuine. 

Once they have your trust, they will fabricate an 'emergency' and ask for money or products to help them. They may also request you to set up accounts or transfer money for them. Scammers are patient and can spend years building this trust. 

Remember - Scammers will quickly express strong feelings, so the relationship progresses quickly because you feel special right away. If you're chatting on your usual social media platform or an official dating service, they’ll try to move the conversation to another platform, like WhatsApp. 

Romance scammers encourage secrecy and push you to trust only them, often attempting to isolate you from family and friends. There will always be an excuse for why they can’t meet in person or appear on camera, such as living overseas, being in a remote location, or having malfunctioning technology. 

Other warning signs include:

• Their online profile doesn’t align with what they tell you about themselves.
• They discuss money or investments, possibly claiming to know about cryptocurrency and offering to teach you.
• They ask for personal photos, videos, or information that could be used against you in the future.
• The scammer becomes desperate or angry if you don’t comply with their requests, and they may threaten to end the relationship.

Protecting yourself:

• Never send or transfer money to someone you haven’t met in person.
• Verify the person's identity to ensure they are who they claim to be.
• Be cautious about what personal information you share.

Latitude Impersonation Phone Scam 

Watch out - we've received various reports of calls claiming to be from Latitude asking customers to authorise a transaction or a refund on their account. Calls often appear to be a recorded message, but it can also be a cold call, posing as the Latitude Fraud Dept. This scam has also been delivered via SMS with a number to call to ‘confirm’ the transaction.

If you respond to the recorded message or contact the number provided in the SMS, you may speak with a scammer who will attempt to trick you into following instructions (e.g. Refunding an unauthorised purchase) to steal your money or personal details.

Remember – Latitude will never ask you to share sensitive banking details (password, PINs, or one-time passcode for payment) in an email or SMS. We’ll never ask you to log into your account by clicking a link or request remote access to your computer or device, or transfer money to another account.

Protecting yourself

• Hang up on suspicious callers claiming to be from Latitude.


• Call Latitude using the number listed on our official website or on the back of your card to confirm whether a call or message is real. Don’t call the number provided in the message.


• If you receive a call from Latitude asking you to authorise anything, don’t do it!