KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — One of the most costly scams reported to the Federal Trade Commission is the romance scam. In the most recent reporting period, the Federal Trade Commission reports romance scams reached a record $304 million in losses, up 50% from the previous year.
These scams nearly led one East Tennessee woman to give away her home. Romance scams are different from others. They prey on lonely people looking to connect with someone, and can often take months to develop to the point where money changes hands.
It was about nine months ago when Vivian, a recent widow, began corresponding with a guy who said his name is Mark Crocker.
“He’s a handsome man. Yea, I always called him my sexy man,” said Vivian who chose not to reveal her last name.
Once the man caught Vivian’s affection, he began the scheme to get her money.
“We texted back and forth for about a month before he went to Australia, gold buying,” said Vivian.
Crocker told Vivian he made $25 million while there. Then he sent a text claiming the law was after him and he needed money. She sent cash at first, sticking the money in between pages of a paperback book, and mailing it.
“$10,000, once. $10,000 a second time. $10,000 a third time. Then I did a $20,000 loan from the bank. And then at one point, he needed more. So, I gave him $30,000 that was (from) my IRA. Ah, I maxed out a…
