Published: 2/9/2022 4:58:22 PM
Modified: 2/9/2022 4:56:40 PM
They say all’s fair in love and war but as Valentine’s Day approaches the attorney general’s office is warning people about a particularly unfair side of love: The online romance scam.
“It’s one of our steadier complaints that we get here, in terms of scams,” said Assistant Attorney General Brian Townsend.
He said 25 cases were reported to the state last year in which thieves got people to send them money after wooing them online, pretending that it will be used to bring the couple together. “These are often people who have sent significant sums, and have been victimized many times. … They won’t stop sending money.”
The scam is not limited to Valentine’s Day but may be more successful this time of year, when people without partners might feel lonelier. Many victims are Baby Boomers or older, he said, although younger people can also fall victim.
“It happens a lot to people who are recently widowed. They’re looking for love, maybe unfamiliar with trappings of social media, dating websites. They may be overly trusting, willing to believe tall tales that the scammers tell,” he said.
In other words, no the next love of your life isn’t a mysterious millionaire with poor grammar who says he works on an oil rig. If you send him money, he won’t magically show up.
The typical scenario involves people who use a fake persona and claim to share common…
