The man met the woman on the Internet. The stranger gained his trust. At some point she asked the 31-year-old for money. It was about 40,000 euros, allegedly for outstanding insurance contributions and tax payments from her supposedly deceased father. After initial hesitation, the 31-year-old accepted the woman's request. He later discovered that he had fallen for a scammer.
The scam is known to the police:
“In romance scamming, virtual acquaintances fake true love – all with the aim of getting their victims’ money,” reports Bernhard Christian Erfort. The press spokesman for the West Palatinate police headquarters advises not to get involved in demands for money: “Ignore the demands and don’t allow yourself to be put under pressure. Break off contact.”. People who have fallen victim to this scam should not be afraid to file a criminal complaint with the police.
“Love or romance scamming” usually follows the same or a similar pattern
- The perpetrators contact their victims on online dating sites or social networks. They use fake profiles to pretend to be someone. To do this, they use real photos and fake CVs.
- At the beginning of the contact, the perpetrator showers the future victim with compliments and expressions of love. He gives the victim increased attention for a longer period of time in order to build trust and create emotional dependence in the victim.
- After a certain time, the perpetrator uses the victim's previously acquired trust and asks for help in the form of financial donations. These are intended to serve a wide variety of scenarios, such as treating a child's illness or planning to emigrate to Germany and get to know each other in person.
- The victims then usually make multiple transfers of various amounts of money to the perpetrators until they realize that they have been deceived. Because of feelings of shame, victims often remain silent for a long time and only report the fraud late. The money is lost.
Mimikama tip
In addition, the rules that generally apply when dealing with strangers apply on the Internet:
- Be careful when disclosing your own data or information about your financial situation.
- Critically question every request made in your direction. This also applies to sending photos: pictures of your living situation allow you to draw conclusions about your assets. You should generally not send intimate pictures.
- Never give or transfer money or valuables to strangers (or people you have never met in person).
- Do not allow yourself to be used as a “way station” when two parties want to transfer money to each other. This also works without this intermediate step. They are only used to disguise the transfer channels.
- The “way station” also refers to packages: Do not get involved in receiving a package or storing it. Criminals use such packages to create further lies and put victims under pressure.
- Get friends involved. An outside perspective enables a more rational assessment and, if necessary, protects you from financial and emotional damage.
Source: West Palatinate Police Headquarters
Also read:
Love-Scamming Romance-Scamming: The scam with love on the Internet
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