A so-called romance scammer cost a woman from Altena a lot of money.
© picture alliance/dpa
She was hoping for love and lost all her money. A senior from the MK fell for a “romance scammer”. Even when her account was empty, the scammer didn’t stop.
A senior citizen from Altena fell into the love trap. She transferred a considerable amount of money abroad within a few weeks. The police do not give a specific amount. The process was typical: so-called “romance scammers” fish for lonely hearts in social networks like Instagram or Facebook or in dating sites according to the same pattern.
The fraudster contacted the woman from Altena in the summer. Allegedly he had to help after a gas explosion in Turkey, the police reported. As supposed evidence, he sent the senior citizen a newspaper clipping. Then he ran into financial difficulties, he wrote. “By now all alarm bells should have been ringing,” warns the police. “But the victims are so convinced of the elaborately crafted lies that they throw all concerns overboard.”
Fraudsters take little risk
Arrests, robberies, terminally ill children, legal fees: there is almost nothing that scammers do not use. The Altenaerin transferred money to the man again and again. When her accounts were emptied, she even took out a loan. Within the last ten days, three victims from the Märkisches Kreis filed complaints.
The fraudsters operating from abroad run a low risk of being caught. “What remains are people with emotional wounds and high financial losses,” say the police. The elderly woman became suspicious after many months and reported to the police and reported that the fraudster was already back on the dating portal.
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