The Neighbourhood Watch Podcast
Aug 28, 2026 · 41 min · 11 segments
Former police officer turned award-winning comedian Alfie Moore meets Becky Holmes, a writer and speaker who specialises in romance fraud and online manipulation. Becky, the author of *Keanu Reeves…
Becky HolmesGuest
Alfie MooreHost
Mary ChaterGuest
It's a long story, but safe to say I'm using my experience from both careers as a host of this new series.

Neighbourhood Watch is the largest volunteer-led crime prevention charity in England and Wales.

In each episode, I'll be joined by a special guest to find out about the neighbourhood that they grew up in before exploring their experiences of crime.

My guest today is less of a victim and more of a hindrance to the scammers who try to get money from her.

She's written two books about her experiences, including the best-selling Keanu Reeves' Is Not In Love With You.

And she's going to share what she's learned about the murky world of romance scams.

Some people, they sell their houses, they cash in pensions, and some people end up taking their own life.

As you'll hear, Becky's keen to stress that the scale of romance scams has been underreported due to the stigma around it.

Quite simply, people are too ashamed to tell the authorities that they've been victims of scams like these.

Thankfully, some people are speaking out, and later we'll be joined by Mary Chater, who was a victim of an online romance scam a few years ago.

Now, the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau reveals a disturbing 9% increase in romance fraud in the last year.

Is it £110? Is it £1,100? Or is it £11,000? I'll reveal the answer later, but for now, let's welcome Becky Holmes to the podcast.
Read the full transcript.
Create an account to read the whole episode, search across every transcript, and follow the shows you care about.

It's a long story, but safe to say I'm using my experience from both careers as a host of this new series.

Neighbourhood Watch is the largest volunteer-led crime prevention charity in England and Wales.

In each episode, I'll be joined by a special guest to find out about the neighbourhood that they grew up in before exploring their experiences of crime.

My guest today is less of a victim and more of a hindrance to the scammers who try to get money from her.

She's written two books about her experiences, including the best-selling Keanu Reeves' Is Not In Love With You.

And she's going to share what she's learned about the murky world of romance scams.

Some people, they sell their houses, they cash in pensions, and some people end up taking their own life.

As you'll hear, Becky's keen to stress that the scale of romance scams has been underreported due to the stigma around it.

Quite simply, people are too ashamed to tell the authorities that they've been victims of scams like these.

Thankfully, some people are speaking out, and later we'll be joined by Mary Chater, who was a victim of an online romance scam a few years ago.

Now, the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau reveals a disturbing 9% increase in romance fraud in the last year.

Is it £110? Is it £1,100? Or is it £11,000? I'll reveal the answer later, but for now, let's welcome Becky Holmes to the podcast.