Greg's Corner

Victim loses everything to romance scam

By Greg Collier

She’s young. She was successful. She’s a professional therapist who had her own private practice. She doesn’t fit the profile of your typical romance scam victim. Yet, she and her children are bing sheltered at a church because she lost everything in a romance scam.

A romance scam occurs when scammers fabricate fraudulent online personas to establish a sense of trust with their targets, often aiming to swindle them out of funds. Employing tactics of flattery, emotional maneuvering, and counterfeit images and aliases, the perpetrator gradually forges a connection with the victim. Once this bond is solidified, the scammer commonly solicits money or sensitive particulars, such as bank account specifics or credit card data. The impact of romance scams can be especially devastating, as victims might experience humiliation or guilt, deterring them from reporting the offense to law enforcement.

The victim in today’s scam was approached by a man through her TikTok account. She was becoming quite smitten with the man, but ended up blocking him because she received warnings from other women that the man was asking them for money. That didn’t deter the scammer, as they came back under a new alias.

The scammer then used the name of a famous fitness YouTuber with over one million followers. The YouTuber’s identity was assumed by the scammer, with the scammer using the YouTuber’s pictures as their own. The scammer even went as far as to email the victim while posing as the YouTuber’s mother, frequently asking the victim how she was doing.

Like in most romance scams, the scammer would never allow video calls or have videos sent to the victim. They claimed that due to their fame, they couldn’t let private videos or pictures become public.

Then the requests for money started. It started out small, like for the price of a pizza, then increased from there.

The scammer even convinced the victim they were about to get married. She ended up selling everything she owned, thinking they were going to elope this month. Of course, the marriage never came to pass, and after sending so much money to the scammer, she and her family are now homeless.

The allure of scams can ensnare even the most cautious individuals due to their clever tactics and exploitation of human psychology. Scammers often prey on people’s vulnerabilities, using persuasive techniques that exploit emotions such as fear, greed, or trust. A combination of social engineering, sophisticated technology, and convincing storytelling can create an illusion of legitimacy. Additionally, the fast-paced nature of modern life can lead to hasty decision-making and a lack of thorough scrutiny. In a digital era where information is abundant and connections are formed online, anyone can become a target. In essence, anyone can fall for a scam.

When encountering a potential romantic interest online, it’s advisable to initiate a reverse image search on their photograph as a first step. Scammers frequently appropriate images from unsuspecting individuals’ social media accounts, unbeknownst to the actual owners, for use in romance scams. If your potential partner appears evasive about meeting face-to-face, it often serves as a noteworthy sign of a possible scam. Similarly, if you’re engaging through a dating app or platform and are urged to shift the conversation away from that platform, this could indicate a potential scam. Notably, a significant warning sign is if they request monetary assistance before an in-person meeting.

When attempting to assist someone who might be ensnared in a romance scam, it’s often challenging to persuade them of the deception. Sharing this blog post or other relevant articles that outline the mechanics of a romance scam could be beneficial in helping them recognize the situation.