Jay's Blog

Romance Scams

  Romance scams are probably the most horrific of all the swindles
around. Victims are left devastated not only financially but
personally and emotionally. Family members of the victim have to deal
with the fallout in every respect. These scams prey on the most basic
of human emotions--friendship, the desire for companionship, etc. They
target people when they are most vulnerable--after a divorce, death of
a spouse, a move to a new location. Older people are most at risk
because they have fewer friends and may be less mobile to get out in
society and meet new friends. They also tend to be more trusting.
 The scam can start in a number of ways. The victim may log onto a
dating site or a chat room related to a hobby or interest. Or the
scammer may have "accidentally" contacted the target by email or text.
"This is just a mistake. I was trying to email my sister." This is a
phishing technique. A lonely person may respond and the scammer starts
a dialogue with them that quickly becomes personal. The scammer fairly
quickly sends a photo of a young attractive person from a purported
glamorous location such as New York,, Europe etc.--not their actual
location. They have an exciting and interesting fake "life story"
   The conversation gets personal very quickly.  Here are some of the
red flags: 1) The photo is of a young attractive person, staged, not
an informal shot or selfie. Think about it--do normal people send out
glamour shots of themselves to strangers?   2) The scammer quickly
begins talking about how rich and successful they are. Not something
most wealthy people reveal at all. 3) After trust is established with
the victim, there is some terrible emergency that the person needs
money immediately for. Well-to-do people have multiple sources of
funds and credit. 4) For some reason they can't talk on the phone,
send more photos of video chat. That's because they are not the person
in the picture. For the same reason, they can't meet in person,
usually for purported "passport problems". 5) if only the victim can
send them money they can pay it back in a few days. It usually starts
out with requests for small amounts, but rapidly escalates to big
amounts as the hook is set in the victim. 6) It has to be kept secret
from e.g. family, the bank, etc. The victim is dropped as soon as
their finances are depleted.
  The bottom line is--Don't talk to these people. Delete; hang up. As
always, if you have any suspicions, contact Jay, Jon or Camielle at
the bank before you respond.