SPRINGFIELD — While many people find authentic rewarding relationships online, far too many fall prey to romance scams. In romance scams, a criminal adopts a fake online identity to gain a victim’s affection and trust with the illusion of a romantic or close relationship in order to steal the victim’s money.
Scammers use well-rehearsed scripts that have been used repeatedly and successfully, typically targeting victims via dating websites or apps, with the intention of establishing a relationship as quickly as possible. Some even keep journals on their victims to better understand how to manipulate and exploit them. Criminals targeting women with romance scams often create a persona of a successful businessman, while those targeting men often create the persona of a young beautiful woman.
“Romance scammers work hard perfecting the skill of playing to a victim’s emotions, which can lead not only to heartbreak for the victim, but devastating financial loss,” said Springfield Field Office Special Agent in Charge David Nanz. “While the FBI will continue its relentless pursuit of scammers, the public’s best defense is to remain aware and educate themselves on the warning signs.”
Although the exact numbers for 2021 are still being tabulated, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) preliminary results indicate a reported victim loss of approximately $1 billion, affecting 24,000 victims. Individual state…
