Great love is promised, but behind the tempting offers there is often so-called scamming.
As the Bremen police report, this is a variant of an internet scam in which fake profiles are used to make the victims believe they are in love with the aim of obtaining financial benefits. The Bremen police are currently investigating more than 30 cases.
A short chat or a nice email from a stranger – so-called love or romance scamming starts harmlessly. The scammers look for victims on online dating sites or social networks such as Instagram, Snapchat or Facebook and scour the member lists there. A short online invitation to chat serves as an initial contact for many people. In order to make themselves interesting to potential victims, romance scammers create unusual life stories - and they always leave a serious impression.
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In Bremen, a 60-year-old woman came into contact with a man from the United States via a social network. Over time, a love affair developed between them. Since the alleged American was unable to visit the woman from Bremen due to the corona pandemic, in order to make her happy, he allegedly provided money in a Bitcoin account set up especially for her.
In order for the payment to be made, the 60-year-old should first pay money. Apparently these were taxes. Little by little, ever larger amounts were demanded and transferred. Finally, the woman from Bremen became suspicious and filed a complaint.
The intensive investigations by the Bremen police in this and similar cases are ongoing.
What to do if I've been scammed?
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.
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 not only help you secure evidence of the fraud, but also consistently block the perpetrator(s).
Related to the topic: Romance Scam – When women turn the tables
Source: Bremen Police
Article image: Shutterstock / By Tero Vesalainen
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