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in Romance Scam
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NBC News
· 2025-03-22
Beth Highland, a romance scam survivor, testified before Congress about losing $26,000 after being deceived by a scammer posing as an attractive man on a dating app. After building an emotional connection and discussing marriage, the fraudster requested money under the guise of a financial emergency, leading Highland to take out loans and transfer funds via Bitcoin that were never repaid. Her case highlights the rising issue of romance scams and the need for congressional action to address this form of fraud.
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WCCO - CBS Minnesota
· 2025-03-24
Minneapolis experienced two violent romance scams within the last year, including a fatal carjacking in May where a 28-year-old man was lured through a dating app and a subsequent attempted murder involving a minor who used his girlfriend's online deception to target a victim. Police warn that romance scams can escalate from financial loss to physical danger or death, and advise people to watch for red flags such as rapid emotional escalation, sexual comments early in conversations, and pressure to move communications off dating apps.
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WFSU Public Media
· 2025-03-26
Florida residents, particularly seniors, are experiencing widespread scam calls and text messages, including toll balance fraud and unsolicited calls from unknown numbers. According to board-certified elder law attorney Jana McConna, vulnerable seniors—especially those who are isolated, lonely, recently widowed, or experiencing memory issues—are actively being targeted, with scammers exploiting emotional vulnerability and cognitive decline to financially manipulate victims. McConna emphasizes that isolation and loneliness are key risk factors that make seniors susceptible to fraud schemes.
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CBS Pittsburgh
· 2025-03-26
The US Postal Service held a scam awareness event to educate customers about fraudulent schemes targeting mail recipients, particularly phishing texts claiming delivery problems. While the USPS reports progress through its Project SAFE Delivery initiative—which achieved a 27% decrease in letter carrier robberies and 2,400 arrests since 2023—the agency emphasizes that customers remain vulnerable to scams and should be cautious of unsolicited communications claiming to be from USPS.
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WXYZ-TV Detroit | Channel 7
· 2025-03-26
A 68-year-old Oxford woman lost her home, car, and life savings to a romance scam in which a scammer impersonated actor Mark Harmon. The case sparked broader community awareness about online fraud, with psychologists and victims sharing warning signs of romance scams and money transfer app fraud, which continue to affect numerous people including the elderly.
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WIRED
· 2025-03-28
A WIRED article examines romance scams through the story of a victim who lost $300,000 after meeting someone on the dating app Hinge who posed as a cryptocurrency entrepreneur and convinced her to invest her savings and IRA funds. The piece explores how scammers use dating platforms to build trust over weeks or months before exploiting victims financially, and notes that romance scams are among the most personally and financially damaging online fraud schemes, with perpetrators constantly evolving their tactics.
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Eyewitness News ABC7NY
· 2025-03-28
**Cryptocurrency Scam Awareness**
Scammers stole approximately $9.9-$10 billion in cryptocurrency in 2024, exploiting the 72 million American crypto users through low-tech methods including phishing (impersonating trusted firms), romance scams (building fake relationships to encourage crypto investment), and rugpulls (fraudsters promoting fake tokens then disappearing with funds). Understanding these common scam tactics helps protect investors from becoming victims.
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The Ramsey Show
· 2025-04-06
A woman's mother lost approximately $1.2 million from a joint estate with her grandmother through a romance scam. The person seeking help notes a significant lack of available resources to assist victims in recovering from this type of financial fraud and its aftermath.
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ABC4 Utah
· 2025-04-10
The U.S. Postal Service warns the public about romance scams, where fraudsters pose as romantic interests online to solicit money from victims, emphasizing that people should never send money or valuables to anyone they haven't met in person. The USPS is also working to combat mail carrier robberies by implementing new mailboxes with digital locks to enhance carrier safety and reduce theft risks.
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KPAX-TV
· 2025-04-11
A Helena, Montana resident nearly fell victim to an impersonation scam when a caller posing as a sheriff's office representative threatened arrest for missed jury duty and demanded $5,000 payment. The victim avoided losing money by contacting his bank, Opportunity Bank of Montana, whose employees verified the scam and confirmed the fraudster had spoofed the sheriff's department's phone number. The transcript emphasizes common tactics scammers use—fear and urgency—and recommends pausing to verify information before responding to suspicious communications.
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Graham Cluley
· 2025-04-16
This is a transcript excerpt from the Smashing Security podcast (Episode 413) featuring hosts Graeme Cluey and Carol Tero discussing cybersecurity topics, including a mention of a Swiss cybersecurity company launching a "CIS initiative" and references to Nigerian fraud schemes (419 scams). The transcript appears to be a partial, auto-generated recording with significant repetition and unclear audio quality, making it unsuitable for detailed summarization of specific fraud cases or elder abuse incidents.
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Al Jazeera English
· 2025-04-18
Romance scams are rising significantly, with the Federal Trade Commission reporting that approximately 70,000 people across the US fell victim to fake virtual romances in 2022 alone, resulting in $1.3 billion in losses. Scammers use fake profiles with AI-generated images to pose as attractive individuals on social media platforms like Facebook, targeting victims emotionally before requesting money. Gen Z is among the biggest targets of these scams, yet victims are often blamed and reluctant to speak openly about their experiences.
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WPDE ABC15
· 2025-04-25
The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center reported over 850,000 suspected internet crime complaints nationally, with South Carolina experiencing $146 million in losses—a $27 million increase from the prior year. The top cybercrimes in South Carolina were extortion, phishing, spoofing, and personal data breaches, with cryptocurrency scams particularly targeting retirees through phishing schemes that use advanced AI monitoring techniques.
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Kim Komando
· 2025-04-26
I cannot provide a summary of this content as requested. The text provided appears to be a casual radio show transcript discussing Melinda Gates' memoir, but it does not contain any information about a psychiatrist, a $500K pig butchering scam, or elder fraud.
The title references a scam story, but the actual transcript content does not match the title. Could you please provide the correct article or transcript about the psychiatrist and pig butchering scam?
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CBS Detroit
· 2025-04-29
This educational piece from the Better Business Bureau addresses the increase in scams targeting seniors during Older Americans Month. While seniors are often perceived as more vulnerable, the evidence shows they don't necessarily lose the most money to fraud—scammers target people of all ages. The article recommends proactive protection steps including family conversations and utilizing available resources to help seniors avoid becoming victims.
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Inc.
· 2025-05-01
The article discusses a $75 billion "deception economy" where fraudsters use fake identities to scam people, particularly on dating apps where approximately 1 in 10 profiles are fake. Two female founders—Kaylee Nichi (Fuzzy) and Jackie Salem (Qualified Digital)—developed an app that helps users verify online profiles in seconds to prevent fraud and identity deception, which has become increasingly difficult to detect with advances in AI technology.
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FOX5 Las Vegas
· 2025-05-07
The Silera Community Center in Henderson hosted a fraud prevention seminar called "Robbery Not Reported" to educate Las Vegas Valley seniors on protecting themselves from scams targeting their money, data, and identity. Attendee Paul Block shared that he lost $3,000 to a cryptocurrency scam and knows someone who lost $100,000 to a romance scam, emphasizing the importance of seniors openly discussing their experiences with fraud to reduce shame and help others learn from these mistakes.
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News 4 Tucson KVOA-TV
· 2025-05-08
A Glendale man, 40-year-old Kinsley Ibodori, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for his role as a money launderer in a romance scam operation that defrauded victims of nearly $4 million. Ibodori, a Nigerian citizen and lawful US resident, opened 24 bank accounts using fake names and personally withdrew over $500,000 in stolen funds as part of the sophisticated scheme.
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wgaltv
· 2025-05-10
This educational piece advises scam victims to overcome shame and seek help by reporting the crime to police and using the Better Business Bureau's Scam Survival Toolkit, which creates personalized recovery plans. The article emphasizes that National Scam Survivor Day (second Thursday in May) aims to reduce stigma around reporting scams, particularly romance scams affecting older adults, and notes that reporting can prevent further losses.
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Dayton 24/7 Now
· 2025-05-13
Millions of elderly Americans fall victim to financial scams annually, with the most common targeting seniors being investment/cryptocurrency scams, home improvement scams, romance scams, and online purchase scams. Phone fraud is also prevalent, where scammers impersonate government agencies or bank officials, using either polite or threatening tactics to manipulate victims into sending money. To protect seniors, awareness of these common scam types and verification tactics is essential.
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CBS4 Indy
· 2025-05-16
Indiana State Police report a surge in AI-enhanced romance scams targeting Hoosiers, with victims losing up to $200,000 per case. Scammers use artificial intelligence to improve their language skills and create realistic profile photos, making them harder to detect as they build relationships over weeks or months before requesting money through untraceable payment methods. Police advise victims to watch for red flags such as requests for gift cards, scrutinize AI-generated photos for imperfections, and trust their instincts, as romance scams have become the third riskiest scam type according to the Better Business Bureau.
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FOX59 News
· 2025-05-16
Indiana State Police are reporting a sharp increase in romance scams on dating websites where criminals use artificial intelligence to create more convincing fake profiles and messages, with victims losing up to $200,000 in some cases. The AI technology allows scammers to improve their English and create realistic photos, making it harder for people to detect fraudulent accounts, and perpetrators typically spend weeks or months building relationships before requesting money through untraceable payment methods like gift cards. Police advise potential dating app users to watch for red flags such as requests for money, unusual photo details (asymmetrical faces, incomplete glasses, odd fingers), and to verify profiles independently before engaging with matches.
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therhodeshow
· 2025-05-20
This educational segment discusses common senior scams affecting millions of Americans annually, including identity theft schemes, grandparent scams (falsely claiming a relative needs bail money), tech support scams, and romance scams. Key prevention strategies include educating seniors about scam tactics, maintaining regular involvement in their financial affairs, and reporting suspected fraud to state police or adult services, while noting that many scams go unreported due to victim embarrassment.
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NBC10 Boston
· 2025-05-23
Massachusetts consumer protection officials warn residents to stay alert against increasingly common scams, noting that older Americans lost nearly $5 billion to fraud in the past year. Key red flags include social media scams that create urgency, unsolicited phone calls, tech support scams, romance scams, and cryptocurrency schemes, with protective measures including ignoring unknown callers, using two-factor authentication, and regularly changing passwords.
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NBC Montana
· 2025-05-27
Three Chinese nationals were sentenced in federal court for operating a sophisticated gift card fraud scheme that targeted elderly and lonely Americans through fake online relationships, as well as unsuspecting retail shoppers. The criminals stole gift card codes by removing security coverings, then quickly spent the funds on high-value electronics like Apple products that were warehoused and shipped to China, exploiting New Hampshire's tax-free retail environment to maximize profits. Law enforcement warns this type of multilayered criminal enterprise remains a threat and could easily occur again.
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CBS Evening News
· 2025-06-01
A 26-year-old U.S. Navy electrician named Thomas Xiao admitted to passing sensitive military documents to a Chinese intelligence officer who posed as an investor and researcher on the Chinese social media app WeChat between 2021 and 2023. Chinese intelligence operatives are increasingly using social media and virtual contact to recruit U.S. military personnel and extract classified information, as traditional in-person espionage has become more difficult.
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SABC News
· 2025-06-01
A South African news program discusses the case of Olarato, a promising student whose life was cut short, highlighting the dangers of "deadly dating syndicates." The episode emphasizes safety advice for women meeting people online, including verifying identities before engaging with strangers, sharing locations with trusted contacts, and meeting in groups. The program seeks to raise awareness about this serious problem and calls for better understanding and solutions to protect vulnerable individuals from dating-related violence and exploitation.
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The Dallas Morning News
· 2025-06-05
Two Keller, Texas residents—Felix Clark and Esther Ampiel—pleaded guilty to federal charges for operating a romance scam that targeted elderly victims across the United States between June and September 2022. The scheme used fake online dating profiles to deceive vulnerable seniors, including recent widows, into sending money under false pretenses such as claims about accessing gold in Ghana, with funds subsequently transferred abroad. Clark pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and wire fraud, while Ampiel pleaded guilty to operating an unlicensed money transmitter business.
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23ABC News | KERO
· 2025-06-19
Romance scams targeting California seniors increased significantly in 2024, with seniors statewide losing nearly $833 million—a 43% increase from 2023. The FBI reports that romance and technology scams are the two largest fraud schemes affecting local seniors, with perpetrators exploiting emotional vulnerabilities through fake online personas to manipulate victims into sending money. In one documented case, a retired educator in his late 60s was defrauded after being contacted by someone posing as an attractive woman with a puppy, demonstrating how scammers use emotional triggers to bypass victims' logic and establish trust.
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CP24
· 2025-06-19
A new two-part Prime Video documentary series, "Who the f is Jason Porter?", examines romance scams in Toronto, specifically focusing on a serial romance scammer named Jason Porter and his multiple victims. The series was created by victim Heather Ro, who decided to investigate and document the scam after police did not recognize his actions as a crime, leading her to interview other victims and uncover the perpetrator's true identity and methods.
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Forbes Breaking News
· 2025-06-20
Senator Chuck Grassley presented a video highlighting the scope and sophistication of scams targeting older Americans, noting that transnational organized crime networks stole $62 billion from seniors in 2023 alone—part of a larger $158 billion in total fraud losses across the U.S. These organized crime groups exploit technology and leverage stolen funds for drug trafficking, human trafficking, and arms trafficking, with over 57,000 Americans falling victim to scams daily according to FTC data and 2023 Gallup polling.
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News 4 Tucson KVOA-TV
· 2025-06-27
A Jamaican man named Sherwane Benjamin Bellfonte, known as "the Iceman," was extradited to Tucson to face federal prosecution for an elaborate romance and sweepstakes scam targeting an 85-year-old woman from Veil, Arizona, between December 2015 and January 2019. Bellfonte and his co-conspirators defrauded the now-deceased victim of approximately $400,000 by posing as a romantic interest while pressuring her to send money. The FBI reports increasing numbers of similar scams targeting Arizona's elderly population.
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Global News
· 2025-06-28
A 55-year-old Edmonton man, Jeffrey Paul Kent, was declared a dangerous offender after defrauding five victims of over $170,000 through romance scams conducted on online dating websites. Kent created false personas, claiming various professions and health conditions like brain cancer to manipulate victims into sending money, which he typically gambled away. Justice Melanie Hayes Richard imposed an indeterminate sentence, finding Kent a pathological liar with a 35-year history of fraud across multiple provinces who showed no likelihood of rehabilitation and posed an ongoing public danger.
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Hindustan Times
· 2025-07-10
A U.S. Senate hearing examined cryptocurrency industry practices and potential scams, with lawmakers expressing concern that weaker crypto regulations compared to traditional financial rules may enable fraud. The testimony highlighted that retail investors have lost money on certain cryptocurrency projects while industry leaders and associates profited significantly, underscoring the need for stronger consumer protections and securities oversight in the crypto sector.
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FOX5 Las Vegas
· 2025-07-15
Joe Fitzpatrick, a retired data security professional living in a Las Vegas senior community, created the Silera Community Scam Guide after noticing neighbors were regularly targeted by scammers, with some losing money to tech support and other common fraud schemes. He and fellow residents compile easy-to-read guides identifying various scams to help educate their community about fraud prevention, addressing what Fitzpatrick describes as a daily epidemic affecting seniors in the area.
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FOX5 Las Vegas
· 2025-07-17
The Federal Trade Commission reported that U.S. consumers lost over $12 billion to fraud in 2024, a 25% increase from 2023, with 80% of financial scams originating from organized crime groups in Southeast Asia and romance scams primarily from Nigeria. To protect against fraud, consumers should treat financial security with the same rigor as home security by using strong passwords, maximizing social media privacy settings, and monitoring credit reports. Reporting scams to law enforcement and federal agencies is critical, as actual fraud losses exceed $158 billion annually—more than 15 times the reported amount—allowing criminals to target additional victims when incidents go unreported.
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KOAA 5
· 2025-07-25
A Colorado author lost over $100,000 in a combined romance and cryptocurrency investment scam after meeting someone on a dating app who convinced him to invest in what appeared to be a legitimate cryptocurrency opportunity. The incident is part of a larger trend in Colorado, where residents lost more than $240 million to scams in the previous year according to FBI data. The scammer used video calls and seemingly normal conversation tactics to build trust before pivoting to the fraudulent investment scheme.
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CBS 8 San Diego
· 2025-08-01
In the first half of 2025, over 700 senior citizens in San Diego County lost nearly $70 million to financial scams, with losses on track to exceed last year's total of $98 million, though actual figures are likely higher due to underreporting. The FBI reported that seniors accounted for more than one-third of the $16 billion in nationwide fraud losses last year, with scammers targeting vulnerable elderly people who are often deceived by professional-sounding perpetrators. Local law enforcement and prosecutors are working to combat these crimes and bring scam artists to justice.
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WESH 2 News
· 2025-07-31
Two women in Florida—one from Marion County and another from Hillsborough County—lost $40,000 and $170,000 respectively in a romance scam using AI-generated images and voice of actor Keanu Reeves. The scammers contacted the victims through word games on their phones, built romantic connections, then used deepfake videos and AI-generated voice calls impersonating Reeves to convince them to send money via Bitcoin to accounts in Nigeria, citing reasons like divorce or cancer research. Experts advise never sending money to unknown individuals without verifying their true identity, as victims have extremely low chances of recovering their funds.
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FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul
· 2025-08-05
An expert discusses how scams and fraud are defined as attempts to steal personal information or money through deception. Scammers obtain victims' information from multiple sources including shady websites, data breaches, and purchased lists from legitimate sources like mall registrations, then use this information to target potential victims through unsolicited calls and messages.
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NBC 10 WJAR
· 2025-08-13
This educational piece discusses the growing threat of elder fraud, referencing a recent grandparent scam takedown involving 13 arrests that affected over 400 victims. A banking expert explains that scam volumes have increased exponentially due to technological advances, including AI-powered tactics like voice cloning and deepfake videos that make scams more sophisticated and convincing, particularly in romance and impersonation schemes targeting seniors.
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FOX 5 Atlanta
· 2025-08-20
Peach Tree City Police identified cryptocurrency ATMs as the leading cause of fraud in their jurisdiction, with victims losing $2 million in just eight months of 2024. Scammers deceived residents into depositing cash into cryptocurrency accounts via ATMs located in stores and gas stations, often wiping out life savings and retirement accounts. Police emphasized that any unsolicited request to use a crypto or Bitcoin ATM is a scam, and warn this problem is occurring in communities nationwide.
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ABC News
· 2025-08-20
This Nightline special examined the "Tinder Swindler," a notorious romance scammer who defrauded multiple victims of substantial sums including $20,000, $30,000, and $140,000 by posing as a wealthy man with a luxurious lifestyle on dating apps. Two victims lost their savings and homes after falling for his love-bombing scheme and have since become advocates, publishing a book titled "Swindle, Never After" to warn others about romance scams. The program featured an investigation into the scammer's methods and aims to help prevent future victims from falling for similar con artists.
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FOX59 News
· 2025-08-19
Imposter scammers are increasingly targeting seniors' life savings, with the number of older Americans reporting losses exceeding $100,000 increasing nearly sevenfold since 2020, according to FTC data. Scammers impersonating businesses and government agencies use three common tactics to create urgency and fear: claiming unauthorized account use, identity theft, or computer security problems, then instructing victims to move money to accounts they control under the guise of protection. The FTC advises never transferring money at a stranger's direction and instead hanging up and contacting trusted contacts or the agency directly to verify claims.
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FOX6 News Milwaukee
· 2025-08-22
**Title:** Preventing scams and fraud | FOX6 News Milwaukee
A Hartford staffing support company received a convincing phone call from someone impersonating their bank, with a spoofed caller ID, claiming fraudulent transactions required setting up a new account and requesting current account credentials. The company president recognized red flags when asked for sensitive information despite the caller's friendly demeanor and trust-building tactics, ultimately refusing to provide the information and avoiding financial loss. The segment provides awareness about how financial fraud scams use social engineering and caller ID spoofing to appear legitimate and manipulate victims into revealing account information.
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FOX 26 Houston
· 2025-08-24
Carl Bucho, operating under the alias Lance Miller, was arrested for defrauding 12 victims out of over $213,000 by renting out the Charleston Lane wedding venue in Willis, Texas, collecting deposits and payments for weddings that never occurred. The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office launched an official investigation after multiple victims came forward, with one bride discovering the venue door chained shut on her wedding rehearsal day. The investigation revealed Bucho had been operating this scam since 2023 and may have victims in other states.
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10 Tampa Bay News
· 2025-09-02
A 70-year-old former police officer and firefighter from Port Richie, Florida lost $47,000 in an AI-generated romance scam after developing an online relationship with a woman named "Bonnie" who claimed to need money for an overseas job. The scammer, traced to Nigeria, used AI-generated images and extracted funds through wire transfers and Bitcoin before the victim discovered the deception. The victim now faces an additional $22,000 debt demand from his bank and warns others about the dangers of romance scams, particularly for lonely individuals seeking connection.
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WION
· 2025-09-04
An 80-year-old Japanese woman lost approximately $6,700 to a romance scam in which a fraudster posing as an astronaut stranded in space convinced her through social media chats that he needed funds for oxygen. Police identified this as part of a growing trend of romance scams targeting Japan's elderly and lonely population, with over 3,000 such scams reported in the first 11 months of 2024—more than double the 2023 total. Authorities have issued an advisory urging the public to report suspicious social media contacts demanding payment.
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FOX 35 Orlando
· 2025-09-03
Carol West lost $60,000 in a romance scam conducted by Cory Woodall, a North Carolina resident who was extradited to Volusia County to face charges of organized fraud scheme and grand theft over $20,000. West sent money through traditional transfers and Bitcoin, which detectives tracked being moved multiple times, and while she may not recover her funds, Woodall now faces criminal prosecution.
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CBS Mornings
· 2025-09-06
This educational piece outlines warning signs and protection strategies against modern scams, particularly AI scams and romance scams. It highlights that scammers stole a record $16.6 billion through internet crimes like identity theft and online impersonation in 2024—a 33% increase from the previous year—by exploiting personal data left behind through online activity. The article recommends protective measures including investigating your digital trail through Google searches, managing social media profiles, and being aware of how data brokers collect and sell personal information to third parties.