An 80-year-old Portland man’s online romance was not only fake, it gave him a broken bank account as well as a broken heart. As KLCC’s Brian Bull reports, authorities warn against Valentine’s Day scammers.
The man was swindled out of $200,000, after months of exchanges with a con artist posing as a Florida woman. The victim was wooed, charmed, and swayed to help cover $5 million in shipping costs for a giant marble lion sculpture from China, presumably to support a Florida art gallery. Only there was no such effort.
Brad Hilliard of the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services says the man lost his entire investment, and the scammer remains at large.
“The best advice is, if you have not met someone actually in person, don’t send them money," warns Hilliard. "These scams target elderly people looking for relationships, looking for conversations with people. And it really goes after that willingness to trust someone.”
People suspecting a scam should keep records of all communications and report them to authorities as well as the dating site.
Funds wired overseas or to third-party transfer agents are difficult for investigators to track. Officials say if you have to use a third party for sending money, use a licensed money transmitter.
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