The Federal Trade Commission has said that romance scams are now at the top of the list of schemes, and the extensive disadvantages cost the victims thousands of dollars.
In search of love, people can leave vulnerable, but it is not just the ship that becomes the victim.
Many unsuspecting and smart online daters are attracted, including a woman named ‘Angela’, who contacted the Action News Investigative Team when she was still in contact with a man named ‘James Earl Thompson’.
Thompson sent Angela dozens of photos, saying he was a New Zealand expatriate now living near White Plains, New York.
“It’s devastating,” Angela said, reflecting on what happened. “If you’re someone in my age group, now that it’s alone after a divorce, it’s hard enough to try to recover from it.
Angela said she met Thompson in 2019 on dating site Bumble.
He claims to have been a specialist in restoring historic buildings in Europe.
“He came off it very credibly,” she said.
Their online courtship lasted several months.
Then Thompson claims he is on his way to Cyprus for a project.
That’s when his elaborate plan came to the fore.
“He sent me copies of the plane tickets with interesting passport information,” she said.
Thompson soon mourned her with stories of a stolen laptop and frozen bank accounts.
And then she shares this voicemail that she’s calling a suspected nurse.
“We’re calling about your husband,” said the caller.
The voicemail further said Thompson was in an almost fatal car wreck and needed surgery.
She then received an email from a suspected doctor. In it was a link to a beautiful hospital.
Despite her doubts, she eventually sent nearly $ 20,000 to help with the expenses.
“I’m sure it’s like a template they use for every woman,” she said.
This is where blogger Patsy Roach comes in.
“I do not believe you are the guy in the picture,” Roach told a man who contacted her online.
Roach was nearly deceived in 2016 and decided to show the table exposing romance scammers.
“I’m the guy in the picture,” a man tells Roach.
“If you’re the man in the picture, you’ll show my face,” she replies.
Roach told Action News the main reason she does this is to get fake story plots out there.
“So, people, mostly women, can see it and not fall for these guys and send money to them,” she said.
Roach said she has caught dozens of scammers, sometimes even multiple times.
Their MO is the same, and often claims to be military or a businessman working abroad. Others told her they were recent widows.
Authorities said many of these scammers are in remote locations abroad and sometimes use the money to engage in illegal activities.
In the FBI’s latest cybercrime report, Pennsylvania is fifth among the states with the most multiple-fall fraud.
New Jersey and Delaware are further on the list.
“It’s scary and deadly,” Roach said of how many schemes exist.
Roach said the scammers have infiltrated almost every online dating platform.
“I was on Match.com. I was on Our Time. The biggest one was Plenty of Fish, more like a lot of counterfeiters. And then Twitter and Instagram,” she said.
Angela went to the police and the FBI.
She said the investigations went nowhere.
Authorities will tell you that the scam is too pervasive to investigate.
Angela said she found him online again just months after the alleged accident of ‘James Earl Thompson’, probably after another victim.
“It’s something bigger than anyone understands,” she added.
Authorities tell Action News that the best advice is to never send money to anyone you have just met online, regardless of their story.
If you are dipping your toes into the online dating world, it is a good idea to check out the photo of the dating profile.
Google Images is a great start, as is the website tineye.com.
You must also report all alleged crimes to the FTC and the FBI.
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