Love scammers and love fraudsters are particularly sophisticated online, especially on social networks, in order to entrap their victims. Fake CVs, stolen pictures, fake names and fabricated family tragedies are often just the beginning of disastrous affairs.
For weeks, the perpetrators try to win the trust and hearts of their victims. When the time comes, demands for money or requests for small favors come. This includes money transfers, check acceptance or package forwarding. This scam is known as “love scamming”.
Love fraudster made contact via a dating app!
In a recent case, the previously unknown fraudster established contact with a woman from Vellmar via a dating app and gained the trust and affection of his victim over a period of several weeks. He then asked for money to be transferred to a bank account in Switzerland, citing a current financial emergency.
The transfer was ordered by the helpful and now friendly woman from Vellmar. After receiving the amount of several thousand euros, the love fraudster demanded more money. This made the victim suspicious, so the woman contacted the police and filed a report. The criminal police are now investigating the previously unknown perpetrator. Since this is not an isolated incident, the police would like to provide the following information:
What should I do if I am a victim of a love scam?
Ignore: Do not respond to the scammer’s demands. Under no circumstances should you transfer money. Do not cash checks or forward letters and packages - do not keep them either. If possible, reverse payments made immediately.
Back up: Save all emails and chat texts as evidence on a storage medium such as your preferred cloud service, an external hard drive, a USB stick or a CD-ROM. Keep transfer receipts etc. If you can't do it yourself, have computer-savvy friends and acquaintances read the so-called email header for you. This shows you where the email was sent from. Self-help sites on the Internet also explain how you can protect yourself from greater damage. If you are still unsure, contact your nearest police station. There you will find out exactly what you need to do to be able to secure all the evidence.
Get help: Report it to the police. Prosecuting such perpetrators is difficult because they operate from abroad. However, you should definitely report the incident. This is particularly important if, for example, banks want to take criminal action against victims who unknowingly submitted forged checks. The police will not only help you secure evidence of the fraud, but also consistently block the perpetrator(s).
Block: Cut off all contact. Do not respond to emails or calls from the scammer. It is best to get a new email address and telephone number. There is also a risk for friends in the social network and for all contacts in your own email address book. The perpetrators usually also send a computer virus with their emails. This scans the data in the email address book and also allows other control over the victim's computer.
Source: Police Headquarters North Hesse – Kassel
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