KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With Valentine's Day approaching, the Federal Bureau of Investigation is warning people not to fall prey to online romance scams.
Bridget Patton, a spokesperson for the FBI in Kansas City, explained that romance scammers target older women, women who are divorced, and widowed women on dating sites.
"They're getting their keys and cues from you by what you post online, by your personality online. So again, one of the other tips is be very cautious -- what you post online as well as who you accept those friend requests from," said Patton.
A woman who started communicating with a man online and became the victim of a romance scam is now warning others. She explained that she felt a soul connection with the man.
"We sang to each other. We prayed with each other. We'd talk about what happened at church on Sunday," said the victim.
Then the man she had never met started asking her for money. Even though she had never met the man in person, she sent him money, again and again, for a grand total of $2 million.
She lost her life savings.
The FBI warns people who date online to go slow and check facts and pictures that the person they're communicating with provides — and never send money to someone you don't know.
If you have been the victim of a romance scam or any other online scam, contact the police and make a report online at the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center.
