Hundreds of thousands of dollars on broken hearts: how fraudsters ruin lonely Americans

Despite the fact that Valentine's Day once a year, fraudsters who earn hundreds of thousands of dollars in broken hearts are constantly searching for their victims.

Last year, scammers earned 143 a million dollars on online love scams — more than any other type of fraud reported by the Federal Trade Commission. On average, people were cheated on $ 2600. Those who are already behind 70 have reported that they have lost $ 10 000. Some even claimed $ 100 000 and more.

Victims don't just lose their savings. Some take on new debt in the name of love—taking out stock loans, opening new credit cards, and even taking out payday loans to help with a stranger's health or business problems.

"It's amazing how deep they get into your head and your heart with Facebook messages," said Erik Larson, 54, who lives in northern Montana and was the victim of a romance scam.

It all started with the fact that in January, 2018, an unknown woman sent him a request to add as a friend on Facebook. He did not know her, but in the photo she seemed very nice to him.

Larson, who had been divorced after 20 years of marriage, was then at home after suffering a trauma that he received at work, and also solved other medical problems.

“We exchanged selfies with each other,” he said. “She was interested in me and my life and made me feel likeable, attractive and interesting.”

How he gave away the first 1000 dollars

After two and a half months, she broke her mobile phone and needed a new one. Since she was a student, she asked him to buy a new phone for her.

So he lost the first 1000 dollars. He sent the money through Western Union to another person who allegedly was able to give her money.

Then it was still more mysterious. Her father was murdered, and she had to fight for the 28 million dollar inheritance. Due to the fact that her father’s old business was connected with organized crime, the case was kept away from the authorities and it was impossible to verify it. As a result, Larson spent about another $ 31 000 on a stranger from Facebook.

He took about half of this money from the savings and the money he earned when he returned to work after an injury. The rest he had to withdraw from credit cards, take loans to paychecks and the like.

“I didn’t tell anyone what was going on,” Larson said.

Now he wants to share his story to help someone else not fall into the trap.

“I know I’m not the only middle-aged divorced man who is lonely and wants someone to talk to,” Larson said.

After about eight months, he put money on Steam gift cards, supposedly to help her cover her cell phone bills. They only spoke a few times, but she came in on Facebook via mobile.

He bought "lots and lots and lots of Amazon cards - $100 each." I took pictures of them, sent her the numbers, and she quickly received cash. He didn't even have to mail checks.

At one point, everything collapsed, but she somehow convinced him to apply for a consumer credit card. And on the same day, he did his best to buy her new gift cards.

In another case, she wanted him to open her bank account. When he replied that he had no money for this, she asked his bank details in order to cover the cost of a mobile phone at his expense through the Internet.

He asked her to send a check. She insisted that he himself go to his bank and give her information about online banking. As a result, he received an overdraft on 2000 dollars.

When he began to suspect something, he asked her to send him another selfie.

“And she sent me a photo of another woman,” he said.

Soon, he came up with his story, saying that a serious operation was ahead and would not respond to messages, so that she thought he was dead.

After talking with the FBI agent, he realized that "she" could have been a man or a group of people abroad who had been cheating the Americans for money.

Although, most likely, he will not return his money back, Larson is interested in that banks and retailers have more control over the situation, and to help people not make terrible mistakes.

How scammers get on you

The scam stories are usually similar. He or she is abroad or travel frequently. They send text messages or emails to better contact you. Good advice: take a couple of minutes to paste the text into the search engine and see if there have been similar words on the websites that expose fraudulent schemes.

Scammers take information about you online. They often describe themselves using old stamps: a simple person who loves walking on the beach. They will tell you that they are looking for true love.

And they always have a reason for you to feel sorry for them. One scammer told his victim that his wife died many years ago, so he works all the time not to think about her bereavement. Now he is ready to move on as soon as he finishes his big project abroad.

More and more things we do through the Internet, so the scammers have the opportunity to control and keep their victims on a short leash.

According to Kathy Stokes, director of fraud prevention programs at AARP, fraudsters can handle 25 and more people at the same time.

According to the AARP national survey, more than half of adults in the United States used the Internet to find new friends and dates.

According to an AARP survey, about 27 percent of those surveyed said that they or someone they knew had been exposed to online fraud. About 11 percent report that they have become victims.

If you suspect you're being targeted by a scammer—or a relative or friend—you can call the AARP helpline to speak with a trained volunteer at 877-908-3360 and press 2.

How scammers get your money

Once they convince you that you're in love - perhaps by promising to come see you for Christmas - they'll find a reason to ask for some money.

Most of us would have thrown a guy or girl for a few seconds if they asked for 500 dollars after several dates. But somehow in the online universe, everything is different.

If the victim doesn't have the money, the scammer will often ask them to send a package from a friend, said Laura Blankenship, director of marketing for the Better Business Bureau serving Eastern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula.

Criminals operating mainly from Eastern Europe and Nigeria can buy computers and other electronics over the Internet using stolen credit cards.

They then ship the goods to addresses in the United States called interceptors.

According to a US Postal Service warning, the victim may be asked to pack the item and mail it elsewhere.

“These scammers prey on the emotions of those looking for love,” Blankenship said.

How to identify a romantic scam

The victims tell shocking stories about how they fell in love over 24 hours.

New love may repeatedly promise to meet you in person, but always finds a reason to cancel it.

Fraudsters create profiles online using photos of other people.

According to Stokes, it is better to use reverse image search on Google to find out if the photo has been publicly used elsewhere on the Internet.

Sometimes they can even use a photo of someone in the army. Never send money to someone who claims to be a US soldier.

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