Finding yourself single in later life can feel terribly lonely. And when it comes to finding love again, there are many potential pitfalls – from families having to adjust to a new person and sharing a home, right through to worries over inheritance and who has access to the money.
While most late-life love stories have happy outcomes, unscrupulous fraudsters are always on the lookout for vulnerable people – especially when there are pension pots and death-in-service payouts to plunder.
A report from Lloyds Bank found that romance scams rose by 22% during 2023 compared to the previous year. Those aged 65 to 74 lose the highest amount of money – £13,123 on average – but men and women aged 55 to 64 are most likely to be targeted by fraudsters. Cases in this age group rose by almost 49% compared to 2022. Here, two women share their stories of love gone wrong.
Carolyn Stephens, a professor at University College London, tells journalist Sue Mitchell how she became estranged from her father Vincent for four years.
