06 Oct Online Romance Scams on Senior Citizens
ONLINE ROMANCE SCAMS PREY ON SENIOR CITIZENS
In just the past 6 months of 2014, the AARP based on Washington estimated more than $80 million dollars was lost to online romance scams. The National White Collar Crime Center along with the FBI stated that approximately 30% of those targeted in these scams are women 50 years of age and older and accounts for more than 51% of all financial losses in online scams. However, it is important to know that men are just as vulnerable and can fall victim to these criminals and to their online romance scams at an alarming pace.
Have you ever thought you might need a private investigator to provide the research and information needed to protect yourself or your loved ones from online romance scams? Maybe it;s time you did.
The list of these creative criminal online romance scams is growing daily. Sadly, the danger does not stop with the pursuit of money. In 2013, a man in Utah was sent to prison for a similar scam where he stole a total of $300,000 from two separate women. There have also been numerous occasions where meetings developed through a dating website have resulted in actual physical injury and even murder. Regardless of the nature of the online romance scam, it is imperative to see professional help and guidance to verify the identity of ANYONE you meed online!
Dating websites are becoming very popular and are providing fertile ground for predators. They are often criminals from Nigeria and other foreign countries targeting lonely American men and women. Increasingly, these thieves are focusing on the growing senior citizen population. They are relentless, crafty and extremely convincing in the pursuit of their vulnerable and trusting prey.
How do online romance scams happen? It begins innocently enough through casual communication and multiple texts over time, and can often progress to include flowers or other small gifts. The predator takes his or her time in earning and building trust and in many cases gets the victim to slowly fall in love believing that the relationship is real. They might represent that they are from another part of the country and work for a prominent company overseas. After several weeks or months, when they believe trust has been established, they initiate the online romance scam by asking for some money. bNormally citing reasons like they want to start or expand their own business or desperately trying to help a relative in need…and unfortunately, too often, the victim agrees and takes the bait for the online romance scam..
How do you protect your family members or even yourself from the dangers of online romance scams? First, if you have any concerns about the people you or a loved one may be interacting with, consider contacting a licensed private investigator with specific experience in online romance scams. Online Romance Scams often use carefully devised fake photos and convincing personal history to fool their targets. In Tampa, Top Gun Investigations will conduct a comprehensive background search to confirm they are who they say they are and give you the peace of mind from online romance scams.
Contact Top Gun Investigations for a free, confidential case analysis. Because what you don’t know…CAN hurt you!
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TopGunInvestigations.com
813-902-0420
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