A 66-year-old woman made the mistake of naively accepting a Facebook friend request from a stranger - which meant that a so-called love scammer cheated her out of a five-figure sum of money over several years The woman was finally alerted to the possible fraud by her bank and informed the police on Tuesday (August 30, 2022).
This is what happened:
Four years ago, the woman received a friend request from a man she didn't know via the social network Facebook. The now 66-year-old then chatted regularly with the man, who posed as an American and pretended to work as an engineer on a ship. After regular contact, the man stated that he wanted to come to Germany. He wanted to send personal things to the woman in a package in advance.
The woman trusted the man and then received various payment requests from a supposed transport company. She was repeatedly put under such pressure by several other fraudsters over the years that she ended up transferring several large amounts of money to foreign accounts. She was finally informed through her bank that she had possibly been scammed and informed the police on Tuesday (August 30, 2022).
The police warn urgently about all kinds of online fraud:
Always be skeptical when you receive friend requests via social networks from people you don't know. As a rule, scammers claim to have legitimate jobs. For example, they often pose as US soldiers, engineers, doctors.
The fraudsters try to build a relationship of trust through regular chat contact and often use photos of attractive people, which are usually stolen. After a while, the scammers fake personal or financial emergencies, say they need money for packages or flights to Germany and put those affected under massive psychological pressure.
In some cases, other fraudsters take over the communication, posing as employees of transport companies, lawyers or police officers. The approach to communication can take many forms.
The police advise:
- Never accept payment requests from people you don't know personally.
- Research the names of online acquaintances on the Internet and use the image search. Evidence of scammers can often be found online.
- Try to listen to your gut feeling and question the supposed blows of fate that you are told.
- Never give out personal information or photos of yourself that could be used to blackmail you.
- If you suspect you have become a victim of fraud: inform the police immediately and secure chats, emails and transfer details.
Article image: Pixabay
Source: PP/Mettmann Police
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