The Federal Trade Commission has said that romantic scams are now at the top of the list of schemes, and the disadvantages are costing victims thousands of dollars.
The search for love can leave people vulnerable, but it is not just the nave that is the victim.
Many unsuspecting and skilled online data people are attracted, including a woman using the name “Angela”, who contacted the Action News investigation team when she was still in contact with a man named “James Earl Thompson”.
Thompson sent Angela dozens of photos and said she was an expatriate from New Zealand who now lives nearby in White Plains, New York.
“It’s devastating,” Angela said, reflecting on what had happened. “If you’re someone in my age group, now he’s alone after a divorce, trying to get back alone is hard enough.”
Angela said she met Thompson on the Bumble dating site in 2019.
He claimed to be a specialist in restoring historic buildings in Europe.
“It came out very credible,” she said.
Their online court lasted several months.
Thompson then claimed he was heading to Cyprus for a project.
Then came his elaborate scheme.
“He sent me copies of the plane tickets with, interestingly, the information about his passport,” she said.
Soon, Thompson shared it with stories about a stolen laptop and frozen bank accounts.
And then he shared this voice message that he had received a phone call from an alleged nurse.
“We’re calling you about your husband,” the caller said.
The voice message went on to say that Thompson was in an almost fatal car wreck and in dire need of surgery.
He then received an email from an alleged doctor. In it was a connection to what appeared to be a beautiful hospital.
Despite his reserves, he sent nearly $ 20,000 in time to help with spending.
“I’m sure this is like a template I use for every woman,” she said.
This is where blogger Patsy Roach comes in.
“I don’t think you’re the guy in the picture,” Roach told a man who contacted her online.
Roach was almost deceived in 2016 and decided to turn the tables by exposing romantic crooks.
“I’m the guy in the picture,” a man told Roach on the phone.
“If you’re the guy in the picture, you’d show me your face,” she replied.
Roach told Action News that the main reason he does this is to get fake story plots.
“So people, especially women, can see this and they can’t fall in love with these guys and send them money,” she said.
Roach said he caught dozens of crooks, some even several times.
Their MO is the same, often claiming to be a military man or a businessman working abroad. Others told her they were recent widows.
Authorities say many of these crooks are in remote locations overseas and sometimes use the money to carry out illegal operations.
In the latest FBI Report on the Internet, Pennsylvania is the fifth state with the most sleep scams.
New Jersey and Delaware are further on the list.
“It’s scary and downright terrifying,” Roach said of the schemes.
Roach said the scammers infiltrated almost every online dating platform.
“We were on Match.com. We were on our time. The biggest was Plenty of Fish, rather a lot of fakes. And then Twitter and Instagram,” she said.
Angela went to the police and the FBI.
She said the investigations did not go anywhere.
Authorities will tell you that the scams are too widespread to be investigated.
Angela said that just a few months after the alleged “James Earl Thompson” accident, she found him online again, probably trolling for another victim.
“This is something much bigger than anyone understands,” she added.
Authorities tell Action News that the best advice is to never send money to someone you have only met online, regardless of their story.
If you’re immersing your toes in the world of online dating, it’s a good idea to check out your dating profile photo.
Google Images is a good start, as is tineye.com.
You should also report any alleged FTC and FBI offenses.
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