A Hawaii woman who was looking for love — is now looking for the man who conned her out of tens of thousands of dollars.
Honolulu Police say her story is becoming more common. They’ve seen a recent increase in the number of scams involving dating websites.They say the suspects are only interested in one thing and it isn’t a relationship.
"I’ve been single all my life and I just started thinking, maybe I can meet somebody online," the victim said.
That’s why she joined match.com, where she met someone who told her everything she wanted to hear. Everything, and more.
"Well basically he said he worked in Africa as a jeweler and he had to pay his people there so if I’d help him, he would pay me back, but nothing was paid back," she said.
The suspect swindled her out of $34,000 through numerous Western Union and credit card transactions. She wants her identity protected, but not her story.
"For me to see what happened to me, I don’t want other women out there to go through the same thing that happened to me," the victim said.
The victim and Honolulu Police are warning members of these dating websites to be suspicious if someone starts asking for personal information, especially if they ask for money.
"I’ll make you money, if you send me money, I’ll send you more. I’m working on a project, send me money because I’m away from home, I need money to exist," said Lt. John McCarthy.
Police say in most cases, the suspect’s profile says they live or work in the United Kingdom, but police believe the emails and phone calls are originating from Africa. Sometimes, the suspect begins asking for money, after only a few days.
"If you’re meeting somebody for a relationship and he’s asking for your credit history, something’s wrong," McCarthy said.
This victim says she’s been hit hard financially. But, she’s still online and still a member of match.com.
"My pride hasn’t been hurt because I really want to catch these people whoever they are, we’re gonna come after you," she said.
Police say another Hawaii woman was scammed out of $300,000.
That’s why they say you should not disclose your personal information to people you meet online.
See the original article at: KHON2 Local News
