State police are advising people to be wary of what they are calling “romance scams” that often increase as the holiday season comes around after receiving word of an Indiana County woman falling victim to such a scam.
State police reported today that the victim, identified only as a 70-year-old woman, was contacted by someone claiming to be a military general. The two communicated off and on, and advised the victim that he wanted to travel to meet and marry her. Police say during this time, the suspect scammed the victim out of $250,000. Even though she was told by state police that it was all a scam, she still believes that the man is coming to marry her.
Police say that many times, romance scams start on social media and once a relationship is established; the scammer will try to move the conversation to an un-monitored chat platform, or try to communicate directly with the victim via email or phone calls, and will also send the victim a photo which in reality is a stock photograph. Scammers have also been known to start threatening the victim if they try to break off the relationship.
Police ask family members of potential vulnerable victims to keep an eye open for these scams and advise people to only talk to people they know in real life on social media. Tips on protecting yourself from a romance scam can be found at the Federal Trade Commission website. Click on the link below to access that webpage.
FTC–It’s not true love if they ask for money–FTC Consumer Information
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