Woman ‘romance scammed’ out of $60K
By David Caltabiano
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TEMPE, Arizona (KHPO) — You know the saying: “Love hurts.” And it stings even more if it involves a scam. Heartbreak coupled with an empty bank account is the harsh reality for a Tempe woman who thought she found “the one.”
The woman did not want to be identified but she did want to share her story about a man named William she met on an online dating app. It was love at first swipe. The first man she spoke to since her husband passed away two years ago. “He was very trusting, very sweet, very loving and very compassionate,” said the woman. “I thought this could be my second chapter, yes.”
A four-month relationship took off through daily phone calls. She said one day William sent her a link for his bank account, once she saw his balances, it immediately kicked her off. Then William called her, saying he was locked out of the accounts and because he was on the job on an Alaskan oil rig, he couldn’t get to a branch. That’s how he convinced her to wire $60,000 combined on two different occasions for tools he needed. William promised to pay her back. But still to this day, she hasn’t received a dime. “Looking back on it now, I feel like a total fool,” said the woman. “He made me basically homeless for sometime.”
So, where is the justice? She did file a report with the Scottsdale Police Department but fraud detectives closed the investigation. A spokesperson told Arizona’s Family it’s simply too difficult to find the alleged scammer with technology that can hide a computer’s location, spoof phone numbers, and even disguise voices. “It’s infuriating,” she said. “I didn’t think it would happen to me; I didn’t know that’s what it was.”
It also happens to so many other Americans. The Federal Trade Commission reports that 2020 broke records for “romance scams” with $304 million stolen from people trying to find love. “If it feels fishy, it definitely is,” the woman said.
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