Millions of people looking for love turn to the Internet and online dating services. One Canadian woman thought she found love. Instead, she found a con artist who took her for $42,000.
The woman, who did not reveal her identity, claimed to have met the perfect man. He claimed to be an American soldier fighting overseas, the parent of an adopted son. He sent her pictures claiming to be of himself. He wrote letters by hand and sent long emails to her proclaiming his affection.
She was smitten. Once she admitted it, the relationship took a turn towards the financial.
Her online beau suddenly needed help paying his bills and supporting his child. Feeling rather than thinking, she offered to help by giving him cash. In the end, that cash totalled over $42,000.
She's not the only person victimized by online dating. Authorities in Quebec, Canada, have received over 140 claims of online dating scams in 2013 alone. The estimate for 2013 could be over 10,000 for all of Canada. As many as 100,000 people could be victims in North America by the end of the year.
Experts urge anyone looking to date online to be wary of a few warning signals that the person on the other end may be running a scam.
- The person proclaims they are in love too easily or quickly.
- The person is vague or defensive about their past or history.
- The person claims to be trapped or stuck in a foreign country.
- The person asks for money.
- The person seems too good to be true or too tailored to your dream match.
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