BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Nearly 70,000 people reported a romance scam nationwide, with reported losses of over $1 billion last year.
Erie County District Attorney John Flynn said reports of online romance scams have exploded since the COVID-19 pandemic. It's a crime he said is nearly impossible to prosecute and one that often targets senior citizens.
“It obviously opened up a whole new market for criminals and scammers who wanted to prey on elderly people who were lonely and vulnerable," said Flynn. “You’re going to have some people who just aren’t going to come forward. You’re going to have people who are embarrassed.”
Torchy Massie met a man online who convinced her to invest all of her savings into a fake opportunity.
“I believe in helping people when they need help and I didn’t think after three or four years that this man was deceiving me," Massie told Scripps News Baltimore. "I believed everything he told me.”
Massie, who is widowed, was tricked into sending tends of thousands of dollars after thinking she made a love connection.
“I’m thinking when I die, I want to leave my kids some money and this is a good way to do it," added Massie.
AARP offers a free resource that allows people to get guidance from fraud specialists if you’ve been targeted.
“Older adults often have been professionals for decades at this point and they have amassed savings, so scammers often know that these folks have resources and money so this causes them to be a target," said Kathleen Benedetti-Fisher, of AARP New York.
Experts say some red flags to be on the lookout for include: the relationship moves very fast, you never meet in person, they're too hot to be true, they tell you a "hard luck" story and of course, they ask you for money.
