Learn the dangers so you can protect yourself and your loved ones
One day, Georgina’s grandkids set her up with a Facebook account. She was happy to be able to connect with them in this new digital way and see the photos they posted.
Before long, Georgina received a friend request from Jim. He said he was a serviceman on peacekeeping duties in Afghanistan. They became friends, and when he told her his wife had died of cancer – just as Georgina’s husband had – their online friendship blossomed into a long distance romance. Soon, Jim said, his military service would end, and he and Georgina could be together in person. Georgina was ecstatic.
Their first obstacle was $15,000. Jim needed it, he told her, to pay the export tax on some gemstones he had collected to open a jewelry store. She sent him the money. Then he needed another $20,000.
Yes, Jim was scamming Georgina from the very beginning. And, sadly, it worked. Before she caught on, she had sent him well over $100,000. When she contacted the police, they explained that it was unlikely she would ever get her money back.
Georgina was a victim of romance fraud, one of the many scams attackers use to prey upon elderly victims in the digital age. Scammers target the elderly to take advantage of their polite and trusting nature, as well as their typically stable financial situation. The best defense against these attacks is the ability to recognize ..
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