ORLANDO, Florida — Romance scams have become a gateway to heartbreak, and the loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
A woman from Central Florida reached out to our sister station in Orlando with a story about her elderly mother who fell victim to one of these scams.
âShe says sheâs engaged and theyâre gonna get married,â The daughter of a victim, who asked not to be identified, said.
She said that her mother fell victim to an online romance scam and lost almost everything.
>> Fire reported at Washington Twp. apartment
âI think itâs more common than we know. Because people donât want to talk about it,â she said.
She said her mother sparked an online relationship with someone who claimed to be the face of SpaceX and Tesla, Elon Musk.
âThey hear that voice. They hear Elon Muskâs voice and they know itâs his voice,â the daughter said.
It started with wire transfers, and huge amounts of money going out. At least one transfer topped $100,000. There were daily ATM withdrawals of $3,000, with most of that cash spent on gift cards for the scammers.
>> 6-month-old girl shot while being held by her father; 2 Ohio men charged
In late 2022, her motherâs $600,000 in life savings started dwindling. By early 2023, it was too late.
The daughter happened to see a statement on the counter showing her mother had just $60,000 left and the money kept slipping away.
Her mother said she was investing it with Elon Musk.
âShe lost a total of $600,000 from what I can tell. I know that her credit cards are maxed out and she bought gift cards on all of her credit cards,â the daughter said.
Itâs not a unique story, either, our news partners spoke with Christopher Maxwell, a reformed scammer from Nigeria who shared some of the tricks Scammers use.
>> Recent string of shootings, drive-bys has local community on edge
âI look for their trust. I want my victim to trust me. You just made them fall in love with you, and you take advantage of that,â Maxwell said.
Maxwell now works with Social Catfish, an online dating investigation service, to help educate people.
He said that romance scams were the easiest for him. He used popular social media platforms and looked for older women, often divorced, who he believed were more vulnerable.
âYou know, when theyâre divorced, they need someone to love them. You know, theyâve been through a lot in the past, and they just want someone that is going to spend the rest of their life with them,â Maxwell said.
Posing as a soldier or celebrity, he would make women fall in love with him and start extracting their money.
>> Yellow Springs names new village manager
âI have seen texts on her phone that say, âHey, baby, how are you? What are you doing tonight, baby?â,â the daughter said.
She said her mother was giddy like a schoolgirl, but now she is living on social security. With financial stress on the family mounting, she wants others to be aware before it happens to them.
âItâs like you want to walk out of your house and scream or cry. Itâs so frustrating,â the daughter said.
In 2022, the Federal Trade Commission reported $1.3 billion in romance scam losses in the U.S. but since many of these go unreported, they believe thatâs likely a small fraction of what people lost.
If you fall victim to a romance scam, contact the FBI and the Federal Trade Commission to file a complaint right away and also report it to the social media company where you met the scammer.
Click Here For The Original Source.
