It’s a special place in hell for people that prey on the elderly. Georgia authorities say a 75-year-old woman sold her home to pay a man who romanced her out of almost $100,000.
The unidentified woman and the man who tricked her started talking on Facebook in March, and eventually, the relationship got “serious.” Although they never met in person.
At some point, the scammer demanded she give him money, but cash only. The woman sent him nearly $95,000 after selling her house.
She shipped the cash to a Nebraska address via UPS and FedEx, the Athens Herald reported.
It’s not an uncommon scam for people to fake “love” to get money out of people; in fact, they’re on the rise. Last year, Americans lost $1.3 billion to con artists posing as romantic partners.
The scammers are known to take advantage of people’s loneliness and, over time, build a relationship and a person’s trust before they ask for money, an expert earlier told Insider.
“It may be six months before they ask for money,” Stacey Wood, a forensic neuropsychology expert, previously told Insider. “That’s a commitment.”
