OKALOOSA COUNTY, Florida — Ever fallen for someone you’ve “met” online, but never in person?
And at some point, in that online relationship, did you get hit up for money with elaborate sob stories?
News flash from the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office: odds are it’s a romance scam.
To show potential victims how these con artists operate, the OCSO created a video with a trusting, local victim in her 70s who lost tens of thousands of dollars to a romance scam.
Her romance scam case, investigated by the OCSO, is now in the hands of federal law enforcement.
Potential victims can learn from her sad experience.
According to OCSO Investigator Michael Kruger, the scammers slowly build their relationship with the victim, learning details about them through social media.
Eventually, the victim falls head over heels for the scammer, lets down their guard, and trusts the scammer enough to lend them money.
Victims often give money to a scammer multiple times.
Kruger said people lose a lot of money because they keep the relationship and money secret from family and friends. And they do not want to believe they are being scammed.
The scammer wants the relationship to remain private and just between them and the victim.
“They don’t want the victim spreading around their name or photo,” he said.
In the case documented in the video, the scammer used photos of an English celebrity, claiming it was him. The victim did not recognize the celebrity but perhaps her family or friends would have or would know how to authenticate the images on the web.
“The main thing is, be open with your family and friends,” said Kruger.
“If you’re in a relationship with somebody, tell other people.”
And listen to their concerns, he suggested.
In the case documented in the video, the victim refused to believe warnings raised by family or her financial institution because she wanted to believe the relationship was authentic.
If you are a victim of such a scam, Kruger said your name will go up on the black web for other potential scammers.
“That’s why you want to change your phone number, you want to change your email stuff, you want to change your social media if something like this happens to you,” he said.
“You want to take yourself off everybody’s radar.”
