Romance Scams

For recently widowed or divorced people, scams abound for those looking for love. It is a way to lose a home or savings when all the person wanted was a little companionship. Posing as a person interested in meeting and having a relationship and perhaps even getting married, it can be easy to fall prey to an honest-seeming person who said he (or she) would never ask for money. But then things can change and all of a sudden pricey electronics or the immediate need for cash becomes an issue. One recent story tells how a woman in St. Petersburg gave away $185,000; she lost her home and her savings. When an adult child insisted she was being scammed she told him there was a ring waiting for her so obviously she was loved and not part of a scam. Sadly, the thought was that no one could do that to me if they loved me!