The Federal Trade Commission said that romance scams are now at the top of schemes and the extensive drawbacks cost victims thousands of dollars.
Searching for love can make people vulnerable, but it is not only the ship that falls victim.
Lots of unsuspecting and savvy online daters are brought in, including a woman using the name ‘Angela’ who reached out to the Action News Investigative Team when she was still in touch with a man named ‘James Earl Thompson’.
Thompson sent Angela dozens of photos saying he was an expatriate from New Zealand who now lives nearby in White Plains, New York.
“It’s devastating,” said Angela reflecting on what happened. “If you’re someone my age who is now single after divorce, it’s hard enough to recover from that on your own.”
Angela said she met Thompson on dating site Bumble in 2019.
He claimed to be a specialist who restored historic buildings in Europe.
“He seemed very believable,” she said.
Their online courtship lasted a few months.
Then Thompson claimed he was heading to Cyprus on a project.
That’s when his comprehensive plan came out.
“He sent me copies of the plane tickets with, interestingly, his passport details,” she said.
Soon Thompson treated her to stories of a stolen laptop and frozen bank accounts.
And then she shared this voicemail that she was getting a call from an alleged nurse.
“We’re calling because of your husband,” the caller said.
The voicemail went on to say that Thompson had been in a near-fatal car wreck and needed urgent surgery.
She then received an email from an alleged doctor. It contained a link to what appeared to be a beautiful hospital.
Despite her reservations, she sent nearly $ 20,000 over time to help with expenses.
“I’m sure this is some kind of template they use for every woman,” she said.
That’s where blogger Patsy Roach comes in.
“I don’t think you’re the man in the picture,” Roach said to a man who contacted her online.
Nearly scammed in 2016, Roach decided to turn the tables and expose romantic scam artists.
“I’m the man in the picture,” a man on the phone said to Roach.
“If you were the man in the picture, you’d show me your face,” she replied.
Roach told Action News the main reason she’s doing this is to get fake stories.
“So that people, mostly women, can see this and not fall for these guys and send them money,” she said.
Roach said she has caught dozens of scammers, some even multiple times.
Their MO is the same and often claims to be a military person or a businessman working abroad. Others have told her they are recent widows.
Authorities said many of these scam artists are in remote locations abroad and sometimes use the money to conduct illegal operations.
The FBI’s latest Internet Crime Report ranks Pennsylvania fifth among the states with the most catfish scams.
New Jersey and Delaware are further on the list.
“It’s scary and downright terrifying,” Roach said of how many plans there are.
Roach said the scammers have infiltrated virtually every online dating platform.
“I was on Match.com. I was on Our Time. The big one was Plenty of Fish, more like a lot of fakers. And then Twitter and Instagram,” she said.
Angela went to the police and the FBI.
She said the investigation led nowhere.
Authorities will tell you that the scam is too widespread to investigate.
Angela said she found him back online just a few months after the alleged ‘James Earl Thompson’ accident, likely looking for another victim.
“This is something much bigger than anyone understands,” she added.
Authorities tell Action News the best advice is never to send money to someone you’ve only met online, regardless of their story.
If you are diving your toes into the online dating world, good advice is to check out the dating profile photo.
Google Images is a good place to start, as is the website tineye.com.
You must also report any suspected crime to the FTC and the FBI.
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