By Shae Rozzi, Fox23 News
People often turn to dating apps hoping to find their soulmate and with love in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches, the Better Business Bureau wants to make sure you don’t fall for a romance scam and lose money.
The BBB shared with our news partners at FOX23 their advice and found out through the FBI how some victims can end up being charged with crimes.
In a video posted on the FBI’s YouTube channel, a woman in her 80s shares how she fell for a romance scam.
“I met the love of my life online and he told me he was a U.S. citizen working in Nigeria,” said Glenda. “He asked me for money to help with his business and to help leave Nigeria.”
She ended up becoming a money mule, someone who transfers or moves illegally acquired money on behalf of someone else.
“Then my love had people send me electronics like cell phones so I could pawn them and send him the money. When I couldn’t get him the money, he wanted he asked me to open personal or business banking accounts.” said Glenda.
Glenda says she ignored warnings from bank employees, police officers, and federal agents who told her she was being scammed.
“I didn’t listen to anyone else, but my love,” she said. “The love I’ve never seen or spoken to.”
Glenda pleaded guilty to felony crimes.
“We get complaints about romance scams on a daily basis.” says Amie Mitchell, CEO of the BBB of Eastern Oklahoma.
She says scammers often try to add new twists to the scam, but one of their biggest tactics, is that they come up with one reason after another as to why they can’t meet you in person.
While in most cases scammers will ask you for money, in some instances they offer you a certain amount, then claim they overpaid you and need some of the money back and that’s when you can lose your real money.
“Once something is deposited into your bank, you’re released a portion of those funds but not all of those funds until the bank does their background to make sure that money is legitimate. The scammer asks you to send back money before the bank ever clears those funds so you end up with a negative bank account once you wire back whatever amount of money that is.” says Mitchell.
If you suspect you’re being scammed, the FBI says to stop contact with the scammer immediately, report any money transfers to your bank, and file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.
The BBB and FBI say you should never, ever send money from your bank account or by any other means to someone you don’t know and have never met in person.
