Cheated and ripped off: 71-year-old Rostock victim of love scamming
Love scammers ripped off a 71-year-old from Rostock. The police warn.
The Rostock police station warns again of the danger
Love scamming scams after a 71-year-old man from Rostock fell victim to such a scam and transferred around 23,000 euros to unknown perpetrators.
Contact via a dating website
According to the investigations so far, the fraudsters took over in July
contact the injured party via a dating website. They presented themselves to the Rostock man as a woman who was interested in him and used targeted conversation strategies to build trust. After the exchange became more intensive, communication shifted to a messenger service.
Just a few days after the first contact, the alleged acquaintance described being in financial difficulties and asked for support. The injured party subsequently transferred several amounts of money over the course of months until a total of around 23,000 euros was finally collected.
The police provide the following prevention tips
Be careful with online acquaintances, especially if they want to build trust quickly. Never give out personal or financial information to strangers. Do not transfer money to people you only know from the Internet. Don't let emotional stories put pressure on you.
Anyone who suspects that they or a family member may have been a victim of fraud should contact the police immediately and not make or allow any further transfers.
The Rostock police station has started an investigation and is warning of similar scams. Love scamming, in which perpetrators specifically exploit their victims' emotions to get their victims' money, is a widespread and often difficult form of fraud.