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in Romance Scam
theguardian.com
· 2025-12-08
The UK Treasury is extending the time banks can delay suspected fraudulent payments from one business day to up to four working days to investigate and prevent scams. This measure aims to combat the estimated £460 million lost to fraud annually in Britain, particularly targeting authorised push payment (APP) scams and romance scams. The policy change is part of a broader government effort to tackle fraud, which accounts for over one-third of all crime in England and Wales.
somersetlive.co.uk
· 2025-12-08
Romance scams in the UK have surged 27% in six months, with Santander reporting £3.8 million defrauded from its customers, averaging £4,500 per victim across all age groups from 18 to 93 years old. Scammers primarily operate through Facebook and Instagram, using stolen images to build emotional trust before requesting money under false pretenses such as medical emergencies or gifts. The scams exploit natural human vulnerability to emotional connection, with nearly a third of people willing to provide financial support to online romantic partners within six months of contact.
express.co.uk
· 2025-12-08
Romance scams linked to social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram are surging in the UK, with Santander UK reporting £3.8 million stolen from customers over six months—a 27 percent increase from the previous period, with average losses of £4,500 per victim. Scammers use stolen images to build emotional relationships with targets across all age groups (18-93) before requesting money through fabricated sob stories about medical expenses or other emergencies. Research shows that 55 percent of people admit to loneliness, and nearly one-third would provide financial support to online romantic partners within six months of knowing them, creating vulnerability to these emotionally manipulative schemes.
scottishfinancialnews.com
· 2025-12-08
Santander UK reported £6.8 million in romance scam losses over the past year, with £3.8 million lost in just six months representing a 27% increase. Despite 64% of Scots believing they are immune to such scams, loneliness and online connectivity make many vulnerable, with scammers commonly operating through Facebook and Instagram to build emotional connections before extracting money. Santander and celebrity Paul Gorton emphasize the importance of thorough vetting and vigilance when meeting people online, as scammers exploit emotional bonds and can leave victims with lasting psychological harm beyond financial losses.
campaignlive.com
· 2025-12-08
This article describes a promotional campaign by Tinder featuring Love Island star Rob Rausch to raise awareness about romance scams on World Romance Scam Prevention Day (October 3). The campaign highlights Tinder's new verification tool and in-app safety features, noting that U.S. digital consumers lost $1.14 billion to scams in the previous year according to the Federal Trade Commission.
prweek.com
· 2025-12-08
Tinder launched a World Romance Scam Prevention Day campaign featuring Love Island star Rob Rausch to promote awareness of romance scams and advertise its new verification tool available to U.S. users. The campaign highlights that U.S. digital consumers lost $1.14 billion to scams last year, and Tinder has rolled out over 20 safety features in recent years to combat romance fraud. Match Group plans additional influencer partnerships to further educate audiences about online dating safety.
azcentral.com
· 2025-12-08
Arizona residents lost approximately $325 million to romance fraud in 2023, making the state the eighth highest in the nation for cyber scam losses. The FBI's Phoenix bureau emphasized on romance fraud awareness day that perpetrators use online dating platforms to deceive victims into sending money, highlighting the need for caution when using dating apps and websites.
scmp.com
· 2025-12-08
Twenty Hong Kong residents lost over HK$12 million (US$1.5 million) to online romance scammers in a single week, prompting police warnings about online dating risks. Police noted that while women remain the majority of victims, men now account for 35 percent of cases, including educated professionals such as doctors and engineers. In a related crackdown on September 16, authorities arrested 11 people connected to a fraud syndicate that defrauded 99 men of more than HK$20 million over nine months.
gigazine.net
· 2025-12-08
Cybersecurity researchers discovered fraudulent apps disguised as calculators and financial news apps on Google Play and the App Store that facilitated "pig butchering" scams, where victims were tricked into depositing funds on fake trading platforms after providing personal and identification documents. The malicious apps, which evaded store review mechanisms by displaying legitimate-looking screens during testing, were downloaded thousands of times primarily in the Asia-Pacific region before being removed, though scammers have since shifted to using phishing sites instead. Experts recommend that financial institutions implement fraud monitoring systems and educate users to verify links and research investments thoroughly.
tradingview.com
· 2025-12-08
The FBI warns of Ichcoin, a fraudulent cryptocurrency platform that has stolen approximately $30 million from U.S. investors since December 2023 by using fake social media profiles to lure victims into investment conversations, direct them to WhatsApp, and convince them to make large wire transfers. Victims are shown fake returns on the Ichcoin app but lose all funds when they attempt withdrawal and are ghosted by scammers. The scheme highlights a broader surge in crypto fraud, with stolen cryptocurrency nearly doubling to $1.58 billion by mid-2024, and demonstrates the evolving threat of pig butchering scams that use
birminghammail.co.uk
· 2025-12-08
Online romance scams surged 25% in six months, with one bank reporting £3.8 million in losses from hundreds of victims between March and August. A survey found that half of 2,000 respondents received suspicious messages, and nearly a third would consider lending money to romantic partners known for less than six months, despite two-thirds believing they wouldn't fall victim to such scams. In a separate case, a man was sentenced to over three years in prison and ordered to repay £32,000 after defrauding a woman he met on a dating app.
weareresonate.com
· 2025-12-08
80-year-old Alice Lin from California lost her entire life savings of $720,000 to a "pig butchering" scam on WeChat, where a fraudster built trust with her over three weeks before convincing her to make seven wire transfers for a fake investment. Lin is now suing JP Morgan Chase for failing to identify red flags and alert her trusted contact about the unusual account activity, and she has testified in support of legislation requiring banks to delay large transactions when elder fraud is suspected.
grandforksherald.com
· 2025-12-08
Long Leaf Trading Group, a Chicago-based boiler-room operation announced in 2020, cold-called victims to promote a commodity-trading scheme that promised 6%-12% annual returns; nearly all customers lost money while the company collected $1.2 million in commissions. The article contextualizes this case within a broader fraud epidemic, noting that consumer fraud cost Americans a record $10 billion in the previous year, with AI-enhanced scams using voice cloning, personalized data, and imposter tactics now replacing older low-tech fraud schemes and making it increasingly difficult for law enforcement to combat modern scammers.
clickondetroit.com
· 2025-12-08
Michigan residents lost approximately $80 million to cryptocurrency scams in 2023, with scammers impersonating government agencies and demanding payment via bitcoin or gift cards for fines and tickets. Michigan State Police and local law enforcement agencies warned residents that legitimate government agencies never request payment in cryptocurrency or gift cards, and advised victims to contact the actual agency directly if contacted by such scammers. One Northville Township resident was defrauded of roughly $300,000 in a similar scheme.
thedailybeast.com
· 2025-12-08
Truth Social users, particularly retired older adults, have lost thousands to millions of dollars in scams on the platform over the past two years, with complaints to the FTC documenting "pig butchering" investment schemes, cryptocurrency fraud, and romantic scams that exploited victims out of amounts ranging from $21,000 to $500,000. The scams typically involved fraudsters creating fake investment accounts showing fictitious gains to lure victims into larger contributions, or posing as romantic interests to extract money for supposed emergencies or investment opportunities. Truth Social's parent company stated it has a team actively searching for and removing scams and bots from the platform.
pulse.ng
· 2025-12-08
This article is not about elder fraud or scams, so it falls outside the scope of the Elderus database. The piece discusses Nigerian citizens imprisoned abroad (approximately 170,000 according to cited data) for various offences including drug trafficking, fraud, and human trafficking, with a former Nigerian lawmaker calling for government intervention to repatriate them for prosecution at home. While romance scams are mentioned as a specific fraud offense contributing to Nigerian incarceration in countries like India, the article's primary focus is on prison conditions and diplomatic repatriation policy rather than documenting specific elder fraud cases or scam incidents.
independent.co.uk
· 2025-12-08
A new mandatory bank transfer fraud reimbursement code took effect in the UK, requiring banks to reimburse victims of purchase scams, romance fraud, and investment scams where money was sent via bank transfer. The code protects individuals, small businesses, and charities, with an £85,000 reimbursement limit (covering 99% of claims) and a required refund timeline of 5 business days, though refunds may be denied if the victim was complicit or grossly negligent in the fraud.
tag24.com
· 2025-12-08
Truth Social users, predominantly those over 60, have filed numerous FTC complaints alleging they were scammed out of hundreds of thousands of dollars through schemes including "pig butchering" (fake investment cons) and romance scams, with individual losses ranging from $120,000 to $500,000. The platform's parent company claims to actively monitor for and remove scammers, but FTC complaints obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request reveal the scams have persisted over at least a two-year period.
union-bulletin.com
· 2025-12-08
Long Leaf Trading Group, a Chicago-based boiler-room operation announced in 2020, cold-called unsuspecting customers to promote a fraudulent commodity-trading scheme promising 6%-12% annual returns, resulting in nearly all customers losing money while insiders collected $1.2 million in commissions. The article contextualizes this relatively straightforward scam within the broader modern fraud epidemic, where AI-enhanced voice cloning, personalized targeting using social media and data breach information, and imposter schemes have driven consumer fraud losses to a record $10 billion annually, with law enforcement struggling to keep pace with increasingly sophisticated technology-enabled cons.
inyourarea.co.uk
· 2025-12-08
Romance scams cost UK victims an estimated £6.8 million over 12 months, with individual losses averaging £4,500 across victims aged 18-93, according to Santander UK data. Scammers exploit loneliness and emotional vulnerability by building trust before requesting money, with 28% of survey respondents willing to provide financial support to romantic partners known for less than six months. Protective measures include removing emotion from financial decisions, reverse-image searching photos, refusing to send money to online-only contacts, and reporting suspected scams to Action Fraud or local police.
rollingstone.com
· 2025-12-08
Truth Social users, predominantly older adults, have reported losing tens of thousands to half a million dollars to romance scams, fake cryptocurrency investment schemes ("pig butchering"), and recovery scams originating on the platform, according to FTC complaints. One 72-year-old victim lost $21,000 to a romance scammer, while a North Carolina resident lost $150,000 to a fake investment scheme falsely claiming Trump and other Republican figures as co-founders. Many victims are Baby Boomers withdrawing retirement savings, with scammers using fake identities, false promises of investment returns, and fake banking websites to perpetrate the frauds.
alternet.org
· 2025-12-08
Truth Social users, predominantly older Americans, lost hundreds of thousands of dollars to scammers using "pig butchering" schemes and romance scams, according to FTC complaints obtained by a tech reporter. Victims included a 60-64-year-old from Minnesota who lost $500,000 to a cryptocurrency investment scam, a septuagenarian who lost $21,000 in a romance-based scheme, and a 70-74-year-old from Oregon who lost $120,000 in a fake gold trading scam. Scammers typically build trust on Truth Social before moving victims to other platforms and convincing them to invest in fake cryptocurrency, stock, or precious
weny.com
· 2025-12-08
The Elmira Heights Police Department is hosting a community awareness presentation on November 11th at Village Hall to educate residents about common scams targeting older adults, including impersonator scams, tech support scams, charity scams, virtual kidnapping scams, and romance scams. The event is being organized in partnership with the Upstate Elder Abuse Center at Lifespan of Greater Rochester.
pymnts.com
· 2025-12-08
Southeast Asian scam operations generated between $18 billion and $37 billion in fraudulent losses during 2023, with criminal networks expanding their use of sophisticated technologies including malware and generative AI to conduct crypto fraud, romance scams, and money laundering across the Mekong region. Beyond direct victims, thousands of people have been trafficked to work in "scam centers" embedded in casinos, hotels, and special economic zones, while organized crime groups have professionalized their money laundering operations to become global market leaders in moving illicit proceeds.
brand-innovators.com
· 2025-12-08
Tinder launched a romance scam prevention campaign featuring reality star Rob Rausch to educate users about avoiding online dating fraud, which caused $1.1+ billion in losses across digital platforms last year. The campaign includes social media videos, in-app safety reminders, and educational content about suspicious behaviors like requests to move conversations off-platform, overly rapid emotional escalation, and avoidance of in-person meetings. Tinder's parent company Match Group invests $125 million annually in safety measures, including ID verification features and machine learning systems to detect fraudulent activity.
independent.co.uk
· 2025-12-08
Truth Social users, predominantly elderly supporters of former President Donald Trump, have reported losing hundreds of thousands of dollars to scammers on the platform, according to FTC complaints obtained through a FOIA request. Common schemes included romance scams and investment fraud, with individual losses ranging from $6,000 to $500,000, often involving victims being initially contacted on Truth Social before communication shifted to private platforms like WhatsApp. Notable cases included a 72-year-old man who lost $21,000 to a romance scam, a person in their 60s who lost $92,400 from their retirement account in a fraudulent investment scheme, and another user defraude
cnbc.com
· 2025-12-08
Federal officials warn of rapidly increasing cryptocurrency scams where fraudsters establish fake romantic or professional relationships on dating apps, social media, and messaging platforms, then convince victims to invest in crypto on fraudulent platforms. Consumers lost an estimated $5.6 billion to crypto-related scams in 2023 (up 45% from 2022), with relationship scams being the most prominent type and averaging $178,000 in losses per victim; the SEC brought its first enforcement actions against these schemes in operations involving platforms like WhatsApp and LinkedIn.
theglobeandmail.com
· 2025-12-08
While elder fraud remains prevalent, scammers are increasingly targeting younger social media users through platform-specific schemes including fake brand ambassador programs, cryptocurrency rug-pulls, and account impersonation. The article advises users of all ages to exercise skepticism, verify information through reliable sources, and wait 24 hours before providing money or personal information online to avoid falling victim to these evolving fraud tactics.
abc6.com
· 2025-12-08
Wisdom Oghenekaro Onyobeno, 44, was sentenced to over 10 years in federal prison for leading a romance scam that defrauded elderly widows and divorcees across multiple states of more than $5.8 million. Onyobeno and his conspirators used fake personas on dating apps and online games to build trust with victims, then convinced them to send money through false scenarios involving military emergencies, stranded contractors, or overseas packages, with funds laundered through fraudulent business entities and bank accounts. The case underscores the need for seniors to be cautious about unsolicited financial requests from unknown contacts.
rosslandtelegraph.com
· 2025-12-08
On October 4, 2024, the Trail and Greater District RCMP reported a romance scam case in which a victim lost a significant amount of money after a scammer built trust through fake online profiles, then requested she purchase gift cards that were cashed in by the perpetrator. The RCMP warned that romance scams are rising in popularity and operate through sophisticated tactics, with perpetrators typically building relationships over months before requesting money for travel, emergencies, investments, or asking victims to receive money on their behalf. Red flags include quick declarations of love, excuses to avoid in-person meetings, poorly written messages, and attempts to isolate victims from friends and family.
providencejournal.com
· 2025-12-08
Wisdom Onyobeno was sentenced to 121 months in prison for orchestrating a romance scam that targeted widowed women, primarily in their 60s and 70s, exploiting their grief, faith, and desire for companionship. The scheme left multiple victims, including a Rhode Island woman, financially devastated and emotionally traumatized. Onyobeno admitted to acting "in greed" while preying on his victims' vulnerability and trust.
justice.gov
· 2025-12-08
Wisdom Oghenekaro Onyobeno, 44, an Atlanta man, was sentenced to over 10 years in federal prison for his role in a romance scam and money laundering conspiracy that targeted elderly widows and divorcees across Rhode Island and other states, resulting in losses exceeding $5.8 million. Onyobeno and his co-conspirators used dating apps and online games to create false personas—posing as military members, contractors, or government officials—to convince victims to send money for fabricated emergencies, which was then laundered through shell bank accounts and business entities. The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal
firstalert7.com
· 2025-12-08
The FBI warns that cryptocurrency scams are growing as digital currency becomes more mainstream, with Americans losing approximately $4 billion to crypto scams last year and Midland-Odessa residents losing $4.7 million. The most common scheme, called "Pig Butchering," involves scammers building trust with victims before directing them to fake cryptocurrency wallets through QR codes, showing fabricated gains to encourage larger investments that are ultimately stolen. To protect themselves, people should research investments thoroughly, remember that if an opportunity seems too good to be true it likely is, and store cryptocurrency wallets only on secure encrypted hard drives.
mirror.co.uk
· 2025-12-08
Maureen Gunn, 66, from East Lothian, Scotland, lost approximately £50,000 in a romance scam involving a fake UN Navy captain she met on Facebook, then stole nearly £15,000 from her 89-year-old mother's bank account to continue funding the scam. As her mother's primary carer with power of attorney, Gunn made unauthorized withdrawals and transfers over three years before family members discovered the theft and contacted police. She pleaded guilty to embezzlement and received a three-year supervision order, 140 hours of community service, and was ordered to repay £14,521.60 at £150
castanet.net
· 2025-12-08
A Trail, B.C. woman lost a significant amount of money in a romance scam after a fraudster built trust with her through fake online profiles, then convinced her to purchase gift cards from a local store and share the codes. The RCMP warns that romance scams are rising in popularity and often operate for months using sophisticated tactics, with scammers typically requesting money for travel, emergencies, investments, or cryptocurrency once trust is established. The police advise people to recognize red flags such as quick profession of love, excuses to avoid in-person meetings, poor communication, and attempts to isolate victims from friends and family.
punchng.com
· 2025-12-08
**Summary:**
Nonso Ekeocha was convicted and sentenced to one year imprisonment by Lagos State Special Offences Court for an online romance scam in which he used a fake Instagram profile posing as "Ronald Gregory," an American male, to solicit financial assistance from victims. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission arrested him on June 29, 2024, and recovered fraudulent documents from his phones showing he conducted the scam by sending unsolicited romantic messages to members of the public. The court gave him the option of paying a N500,000 fine or completing 50 hours of community service in lieu of imprisonment.
mykootenaynow.com
· 2025-12-08
Trail RCMP warned residents of a romance scam after a local woman lost a significant amount of money on October 4 when a scammer she met online convinced her to purchase and send gift card information. The scammer built trust over time through fake profiles before requesting the gift cards, which were then cashed in and are not recoverable. The alert included common romance scam tactics—such as requests for money, cryptocurrency investments, or claims of emergencies—and red flags to watch for, including declarations of love from strangers, excuses to avoid in-person meetings, and attempts to isolate victims from friends and family.
bostonglobe.com
· 2025-12-08
Wisdom Oghenekaro Onyobeno, a 44-year-old Nigerian man, was sentenced to over 10 years in federal prison for leading a $5.8 million romance scam that targeted vulnerable women in their 60s, 70s, and 80s across the United States. The victims, many widowed and seeking companionship, were deceived by fabricated romantic stories and charm, losing retirement savings, valuables, and in some cases their health and lives, with one Florida widow alone losing over $324,000. Judge John J. McConnell Jr. rejected Onyobeno's pleas for leniency, calling the scheme "
castlegarsource.com
· 2025-12-08
On October 4, 2024, Trail and Greater District RCMP received a report of a woman who lost a significant amount of money in a romance scam after an online fraudster convinced her to purchase and send gift card information. RCMP warned that romance scams—where scammers build fake relationships to eventually request money—are rising in the area and use sophisticated tactics, advising the public to watch for red flags such as professions of love from strangers, requests to move to private communication, excuses to avoid meeting in person, and pressure to keep the relationship secret from friends and family.
thenewportbuzz.com
· 2025-12-08
Over 100,000 seniors nationwide reported losing more than $3.4 billion to fraud last year, with Rhode Island residents over 60 losing $7.4 million, increasingly victimized by AI-enabled scams including voice replication and tech support fraud. U.S. Senator Jack Reed partnered with AARP Rhode Island and state police to host a fraud prevention education event offering seniors practical advice: never share personal information with unknown callers, beware of urgent notices, designate trusted contacts, and hang up on suspicious calls demanding immediate payment. Investment scams posed the greatest financial risk to seniors, while tech support scams were the most commonly reported fraud type.
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
· 2025-12-08
A 65-year-old homemaker from south Mumbai was defrauded of Rs 1.3 crore over more than a year through an elaborate romance scam initiated on a dating app, in which scammers posed as an American engineer, then impersonated officials from the Reserve Bank of India, Bank of America, the International Monetary Fund, and other financial institutions to extract money under false pretenses of funds transfers and customs clearance fees. The victim, who began sending bitcoins in April 2023 after meeting the scammer on International Cupid, continued paying despite receiving calls from multiple fake officials promising refunds and converting $2 million into Indian rupees, until she filed a police complaint
securities.io
· 2025-12-08
This article identifies five prevalent cryptocurrency scams targeting victims in 2024, including phishing, fake exchanges, and Ponzi schemes. According to the Better Business Bureau, approximately 80% of Americans targeted in crypto and investment scams lost money, with a median loss of $3,800, while blockchain analysts report that scammers are adapting tactics to conduct shorter-duration, more devastating schemes. The article emphasizes that the complex nature of cryptocurrency and heightened market activity create ideal conditions for fraud, with scammers using text messages, social media, and fake platforms to manipulate victims into transferring funds.
khak.com
· 2025-12-08
In 2023, Iowa residents lost $42.6 million to various scams, with romance scams alone accounting for over $4 million in losses and representing nearly 30% of senior financial exploitation reports filed with the Iowa Insurance Division. Common scams affecting Iowans include identity theft, investment fraud, tech support scams, grandparent scams, and compromised business email schemes. The FBI's "Take A Beat" initiative recommends protecting against scams by being cautious of unsolicited contact, verifying senders, enabling two-factor authentication, avoiding sharing personal information, being wary of cryptocurrency or gift card payment requests, and reporting suspected fraud to the Internet Crime Complaint Center
asaaseradio.com
· 2025-12-08
Nonso Ekeocha was convicted and sentenced to one year imprisonment by a Lagos court for online romance fraud, where he posed as "Ronald Gregory," an American man, on Instagram to solicit money from victims through fake dating scenarios. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission proved he possessed fraudulent documents used for the scam, which he committed in June 2024; he was given the option to pay a N500,000 fine and complete 50 hours of community service instead of serving the prison term.
nbcwashington.com
· 2025-12-08
Charles Cox lost $272,000 to a "pig butchering" cryptocurrency scam after befriending someone on Facebook who posed as an investor and convinced him to invest in a fake bitcoin website over several months. The scammer used sophisticated tactics including fake account screenshots showing profits and requests to wire increasingly larger amounts, ultimately tricking Cox into sending $185,000 before Adult Protective Services intervention revealed the fraud. Cox's bank was unable to recover the funds, and he warns others to avoid clicking links from online contacts, refuse to meet in person if requested, and be skeptical of investment opportunities from people they've only met online.
justice.gov
· 2025-12-08
A 21-year-old Boston man was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud after serving as a courier in a tech support scam that defrauded a 75-year-old Massachusetts man of approximately $420,000 between June and October 2024. The victim was lured by a fake Microsoft pop-up message, then convinced by a scammer posing as a federal Treasury agent that his identity was involved in money laundering and instructed to withdraw cash in installments and hand it to couriers at his home. The defendant was arrested on October 7, 2024, when he arrived to collect a package from an undercover officer, and admitted to collecting packages for payment at the
reed.senate.gov
· 2025-12-08
U.S. Senator Jack Reed partnered with AARP Rhode Island and the Rhode Island State Police to hold an Elder Fraud Prevention Summit addressing the rising threat of scams targeting older adults. According to the FBI, elder fraud complaints rose 14 percent in 2023 with losses exceeding $3.4 billion nationally, including $7.4 million lost by Rhode Islanders over age sixty. The summit emphasized public education, awareness of common scam tactics (tech support, romance, investment, and data breach scams), and the importance of reporting fraud to authorities rather than remaining silent out of embarrassment.
agrinews-pubs.com
· 2025-12-08
This educational piece reviews common scams targeting seniors, noting that scammers are employing increasingly sophisticated tactics. The article outlines five prevalent scam types—romance scams, computer repair fraud, grandparent scams, government impersonation, and bank account fraud—and provides protective strategies such as establishing family code words, avoiding unsolicited callers, and independently verifying contact from financial institutions or authorities.
aol.com
· 2025-12-08
Over 100,000 elderly Americans fell victim to fraud last year, losing more than $3.4 billion, with Rhode Island seniors alone losing approximately $7.4 million. U.S. Senator Jack Reed and partners hosted an awareness event highlighting common elder scams—including tech support, grandparent, government impersonation, sweepstakes, home repair, romance, and family scams—and recommended strategies to avoid them: never volunteer personal information, be skeptical of urgent claims, avoid payments via gift cards or cryptocurrency, and don't hesitate to hang up on suspicious callers. Victims should report scams to local police or the FTC, and seniors can access
toronto.ctvnews.ca
· 2025-12-08
I'm unable to provide a summary of this article because the content provided only contains the title and a list of unrelated shopping/product recommendation links, not the actual article text about the romance scam.
To create an accurate summary for the Elderus database, please provide the full article content describing how the Ontario mother lost $20,000 to the romance scam, what actions her daughters took, and any other relevant details about the incident.