An alleged doctor from Yemen has wormed his way into the trust of a 58-year-old woman via an online dating app.
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Love scammers look for victims on social networks, messenger apps and dating portals.
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Based on a current case, the Bavarian police are warning of the online scam “Love Scamming”. The so-called love scammers use social networks and messenger services to search for bona fide victims who want to rob them of their money.
“Love Scamming” and “Romance Scamming”
On Facebook, Whatsapp or online dating portals, scammers pretend to be good-looking and interested chat partners. If one of the victims bites, they often pretend to be in a relationship over a long period of time, which takes place via social networks or messengers. This scam is known as “Love Scamming” or “Romance Scamming”.
Alleged doctor from Yemen demands money
After weeks of pretending to their victims that they are genuinely interested in them, they start asking for money. In a recent case from the Neu-Ulm district, a 58-year-old woman was taken in by a love scammer. The man said he was an American working as a doctor in Yemen. Since he wanted to quit his job to travel to his beloved, he asked the woman to cover his travel expenses. His victim then transferred a high four-digit amount to an account abroad. When the scammer continued to demand money, the woman became suspicious and reported it to the police. It is currently unclear whether your bank can retrieve the transferred money.
You should pay attention to this
In order not to become a victim of “love scamming” yourself, the police advise you to be economical and cautious when publishing private data on social networks and on dating portals. The scammers specifically look for such details and then use them to trick their victims into thinking they have something in common. It is also advisable to use the privacy settings of the networks and messengers. Those who are not visible to strangers are also less likely to be targeted by cyber stalkers and cyberbullyers.
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