Greg's Corner

Romance scam victim sent to jail

By Greg Collier

Whenever we discuss romance scams, we always take care to mention that anybody from any socioeconomic status can fall prey to this scam. We also say that some people fall so deep into the scam that they end up stealing the money that their scammer continues to ask for. Unfortunately, today’s story is one of those stories.

For context, a romance scam is when a scammer approaches a victim online and initiates what appears to be a romantic relationship. The scammer usually claims they have some job that keeps them from meeting face to face. Typically, that’s usually a member of the military who is stationed overseas, an oil rig worker, or a businessman working outside the country. The scammers will usually use pictures of people that they’ve stolen from the internet. They might even use the names of real people. The fake romance will be kept going for a while before the scammer starts asking for money. This will be under the guise of some kind of emergency or to urgently complete some kind of business deal. We’re talking anywhere from thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars if the scammer finds the right victim. Too many people let their hearts get in the way and end up going bankrupt sending money to these scammers. For one victim, it’s going to cost her 18 months in jail.

The 58-year-old woman, from Virginia Beach, thought she had met a chemical engineer named Leo who was working overseas. Leo allegedly claimed that he needed money to rescue him from foreign authorities. At first, he asked for $460,000. It wasn’t too much long after that he asked for another $220,000. The victim didn’t have this kind of money, but worked for an escrow and title company. She ended up taking the money from her company to give to the scammer. After realizing she had been scammed, the victim turned herself in and has now been sentenced to 18-months in federal prison. Meanwhile, the scammer was never apprehended.

This isn’t the first instance we’ve heard of where a victim of a romance scam went to jail for misappropriation of funds. It probably won’t be the last, either. There’s nothing wrong with meeting someone online and starting a relationship, if you take the right precautions. When they send you a picture, do a reverse image search to make sure they are who they say they are. If they make excuses as to why they can never meet in person, there’s a good chance they’re trying to scam you. Lastly, never send money to someone you never met in real life, no matter how charming they may be.