What It’s Like to Lose a Million Dollars to an Online Dating Scam
New York Magazine,
by
Katie Heaney
Original Article
Posted By: MissMolly,
4/14/2019 6:22:37 AM
In 2018, the Federal Trade Commission received more than 21,000 reports about online romance scams, totaling $143 million in losses. As the number of dating sites and social media apps has gone up, so too has the number of romance scams reported — from 17,000 in 2017, 11,000 in 2016, and 8,500 in 2015. Last year, the median loss reported was $2,600, which is seven times higher than the median loss for other forms of fraud tracked by the FTC. Most affected are people over the age of 70, for whom the median loss rose to $10,000.
And just exactly who did these people who are over 70 think would to be interested in their mind or body? It always amazes me to see these men who hoodwinked multiple wealthy women. Seldom are they good looking. They just stumbled across the magic formula - make a woman feel treasured.
17 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
StormCnter 4/14/2019 7:47:18 AM (No. 33433)
I know people (yes, over 70s) who have met and developed deep friendships from dating sites, but my friends are too sensible to have sent any money to strangers.
17 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
bamapreacher 4/14/2019 8:03:50 AM (No. 33418)
As a 72 year old widower I joined a couple of somewhat legitimate dating sites, Zoosk, Our Time, etc. and women (or maybe men) tried to scam me regularly. I know a 30 year old sexy woman would have no interest in em as a romantic partner so I didn´t even respond to them. The ones I corresponded with mostly had a few things in common. They all claimed to be out of the country at the moment. That´s the first sign of a scam. If the woman or man is out of the country when you start a "relationship" drop it immediately. Early on ask the person what the weather is like where they supposedly live. Several of them said right off the bat they weren´t at home at the time. One was in Cairo, one in Istanbul and one in Malaysia. I said nice knowing you and blocked them.
28 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
tootall 4/14/2019 8:16:14 AM (No. 33421)
A fool and his (her) money are soon parted.
I´ve been online dating for too long, and I know there are a ton of liars out there.
Anyone who would give ANY money to someone they never met based on an online connection is stupid. She would have been scammed some other way at some point.
Caution is the watchword.
15 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
franq 4/14/2019 8:18:32 AM (No. 33427)
For the last month or so, Mary Worth has been using this story arc.
8 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
Strike3 4/14/2019 8:47:56 AM (No. 33435)
They lost their money to gullibility and stupidity, the dating scam was merely the vehicle. The Nigerian lottery ploys were painfully obvious and still caught some people but more people are suckers for a potential romance than anything else.
My advice, if you are lonely, get a dog.
22 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
cartcart 4/14/2019 9:18:01 AM (No. 33430)
It’s an expensive lesson. It’s hard to believe people are so foolish.
11 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
ROLFNader 4/14/2019 9:33:57 AM (No. 33434)
"You´re Looking For a Younger Man, Not Me"
(Don Henley- Cass County- 2017)
11 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
GO3 4/14/2019 9:34:08 AM (No. 33431)
Get offline and do it the old fashioned way by going to a bar.
17 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
DaddyO 4/14/2019 9:35:19 AM (No. 33422)
Mary Worth? I didn´t know they even had that one any more.
This pic pretty much sums it up:
https://absolutelymindboggling.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/lottery-winner.jpg
18 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
lakerman1 4/14/2019 9:59:07 AM (No. 33436)
if you to to www.scamorama.com, you can see examples of scams, and pretty funny games played by the targets of the scam.
Money sent by fools is usually through western union, which could stop the scams quickly.
But western union makes big bucks on those scam transfers.
Aas far as this womkan goes, she was an Air Force intelligence officer? W#e need prayers to protect ourselves from the likes of her.
17 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
texaspast 4/14/2019 10:02:40 AM (No. 33432)
Dang, #5 - Mary Worth is still alive? She´s got to be about 120 now!
12 people like this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
Texastealady 4/14/2019 11:13:06 AM (No. 33429)
#11 - my thoughts too - Intelligence Officer??? She let this go on for 2 years & wasn´t even a little suspicious? Good Grief!
The Match.com lady had the best answer, though inadequate, "don´t send money"...fascinating read though. I´d like to add - don´t give money (even a "loan") to anyone - been burned for the last time myself that way.
13 people like this.
Reply 14 - Posted by:
jalo1951 4/14/2019 11:15:01 AM (No. 33419)
So what part of "let me send you a thousand dollars" to a total stranger makes sense? I am sorry this happened but how gullible can you be?
14 people like this.
Reply 15 - Posted by:
VirtuDawg 4/14/2019 11:17:51 AM (No. 33420)
I suppose that loneliness and desperation will lead otherwise intelligent and responsible people to do stupid things . . .
16 people like this.
Reply 16 - Posted by:
trackman999 4/14/2019 11:53:31 AM (No. 33438)
I read this on the NY magazine site during the week. My first thought was who sends money , in any amount to someone you dont´ know? An internet correspondence does not equal " knowing".
10 people like this.
Reply 17 - Posted by:
Skeptical1 4/14/2019 12:34:37 PM (No. 33437)
If the schools wanted to teach something useful, they would provide training in saying "no". Not just to internet scammers, but to friends and (especially) family. What you find is that if you give someone a little help over a period of time, then stop giving, they´re more resentful than if you never helped at all, and you wind up with a depleted bank account as well as a soured relationship. Better to have never given at all.
If this lady had really been a banker, then saying "no" is a skill she should have mastered. She might have just told him that she has a rigid policy of no loans because they poison relationships, or she could have pleaded poverty or other pressing demands.
9 people like this.
Reply 18 - Posted by:
Strike3 4/14/2019 12:39:31 PM (No. 33439)
Even the practice of lending money to a friend or a family member can result in one getting burned because honesty and integrity are not what they used to be. They take advantage of the relationship and sometimes just consider it a gift. I couldn´t imagine sending a complete stranger a check.
10 people like this.
Reply 19 - Posted by:
DVC 4/14/2019 1:29:13 PM (No. 33424)
Stupid, stupid. People can be real idiots.
No sympathy at all for the scammed, but the law should come down like a hammer on the scammers.
8 people like this.
Reply 20 - Posted by:
franq 4/14/2019 3:54:52 PM (No. 33423)
Mary Worth is alive and well, with a world class bevy of snarkers. Much more amusing than the strip itself.
6 people like this.
Reply 21 - Posted by:
GoodDeal 4/14/2019 4:39:14 PM (No. 33426)
I tried a popular online dating site and within no time my account was hacked and people were getting scam messages from me, and my profile was being used to scam women for money. I canceled my account and got a full refund. If you want to meet real people for real dates, try the old one on one method at church, the grocery store or gym. Like what you see? Go up to them and say HI! See how that works.
10 people like this.
Reply 22 - Posted by:
YorkieMom 4/14/2019 9:43:19 PM (No. 33428)
I believe #15 has the answer. As far as being age 70 or older, are people so shallow that they won’t like someone unless they are young and beautiful? Sad to say, that is true of a lot of people.
9 people like this.
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I guess every stupid person isn´t taking selfies on the Grand Canyon rim. Some are falling for dating scans.