Australians lost more than 19 million U.S. dollars to fraudsters on online dating sites in 2014, according to a report from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
A study released on Wednesday revealed that people scammed by online dating sites accounted for 74 percent of all complaints made to the ACCC throughout the year.
The remaining quarter was made up of people conned into job and investment opportunities (10 percent), unexpected prizes (10 percent) and unexpected money (six percent). However, online dating sites were listed as the "chief culprit" of fraudsters.
There were 50 confirmed cases of people losing in excess of 28, 000 U.S. dollars each listed in the report, which also revealed that the majority of fraudsters originate from West Africa, using stories about inheritance, gemstone dealings and gold bullion to appeal to budding companions.
The ACCC's deputy chair, Delia Rickard, says scammers are beginning to use other social media websites to lure victims, while preying on their search for love.
"Just over one third of these people were contacted by the scammer through social media channels," she said in a statement on Wednesday morning.
"The excuses and stories are designed to extract the maximum funds and commit the victim both financially and emotionally."
The study comes as the ACCC announces a nation-wide crackdown on online scamming.
There have been 1,500 letters sent to users of dating websites by the ACCC, warning them of the dangers of fraudsters, while 100 dating websites have been checked to ensure they maintain appropriate warning measures.
The ACCC's cyber safety consultant, Leonie Smith, also listed recommendations to people using dating websites, suggesting to closely monitor the image of the person they are contacting.
"Use some of the more established dating sites if you want to look for love online," she told The Guardian on Wednesday.
"You can actually download that [person's] picture and use Google image search to see if it pops up anywhere else, that's a good step."
But the most important piece of advice Smith gave was to never send money to people you haven't met.
"That's when the alarm bells should ring," Smith said. "You certainly shouldn't be sending any money to someone you haven't met face-to-face."
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