How romance scam victims become unwitting accomplices

Jim Axelrod dives into the world of romance scams, showing how sometimes the victims can also become unwitting accomplices in the scammers' financial crimes.
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[@dfa3366]

Online dating is not dating. It’s online meeting. Dating is when you go to dinner or a movie or a weekend trip. Chatting with someone is not dating. I just do t understand how anyone can give money to someone they have never met in person.

[@sweetipie1995]

Wow i wouldnt even give money to my family let alone internet strangers🤦🏻‍♀️

[@lindaslattery8341]

STAY OFF OF DATING APPS AND WEBSITES!!!!

[@yvonneplant9434]

Why do people do this idiotic stuff?

[@emmawalton1849]

​@yvonneplant9434 Their lonely and looking for LOVE. It crosses all ages and professions!

[@adrianahlz1895]

Ummm.. I met my husband on Tinder

[@lindaslattery8341]

@@adrianahlz1895 good for you, I guess 🙄

[@choosey87]

When I did online dating during the pandemic, I realized immediately when a guy was trying to scam me. He asked me for funds stating he was in the military. I told him I was broke too and needed funds too. Eventually he gave up on trying to get me and blocked me 😂

[@gabethedinosaur95]

Dating app are now dangerous. Social media and dating sites and apps should be banned forever. What kind of world am I seeing now . This is so wrong and disgusting. This is why I rather meet a woman in real life not a computer.

[@rule1624]

Oh my gosh!!! Ladies do your research!!’ Anytime anyone ask for money !!! It’s fake!!! The online dating websites need to be held accountable as well!’

[@KCNwokoye]

The women need to be held accountable for dishing out their life savings to attract a rich and handsome prince charming online. That's the only thing they can control. Giving away huge cash online to a stranger. Don't ever give cash to any online lover no matter what they say.They paid to keep the fake love and attention. They paid not to lose the love and attention. They paid to feel special. They each didn't have to pay a dime. They kept the schemes going. But they did. These scam artists didn't have to put a gun to their heads to get the money. They simply asked and these women gave it all away because they were lonely and desperate for someone to love them so they paid for it. It is painful and difficult but it is the simple truth. I have a family member who was a victim/accomplice. She was selfish, secretive, and greedy. She gave away not just her own money but other people's money as well.

[@codefinity]

💯 F those dating apps. It’s 👍 the 🆕 🚬 - causes ‘cancer.’

[@KCNwokoye]

These women are not victims. Each of them knew that this fake love affair was not real. They are not babies. These are grown women who are so desperate for love that they would pay huge sums of money to attract a man they have never met. They paid to be loved. That's the sad news. Each of these women ruined their life for greed and get-love-quick. She should be angry with her mom for chasing after something that is not real at the expense of everything and everyone. She was chasing after a handsome price charming who is handsome and rich and will come and make her boring and lonely life less boring and lonely. They paid to be loved. They would never advise their children to do this. When something is done in secret, when you cannot tell your friends and family then you know it is definitely fake. Who in their right mind tells their children to pay someone 1 million dollars to love them? Who in their right mind tells their child: Hey pay some man you've never met on the internet half a million dollars to come be with you? They each knew this was a scam but like any addict, they just kept paying just to feel that thrill and excitement, that rush of dopamine of fast love that is neither lasting or real. I am sorry for the devastation it has caused in each of their lives. Lonely and desperate women looking for love in all the wrong places should be the title of this video. This is how this scam will be stopped. There will always be scammers when there are women or men looking for an unrealistic love affair with a handsome and rich business man. When women stop seeking these unrealistic men they will pay for on the internet, then the scammers will go get another job.

[@ShannonsBibleStudy]

The scammers sought out naive and lonely women to exploit and take advantage of.

[@amie6085]

Hindsight is 20/20.

[@juanitajones6900]

They were victims.

[@Retsailor88]

Public service announcements from the government and the media should be broadcast, cautioning people against falling for love scams and prize money scams.

[@carolr7823]

I find it hard to believe that these people didn't know they were committing crimes. Why would you set up fake stuff?

[@catpax6075]

Stay safe everyone

[@user-zk2se5pw2h]

I met a Woman named ERICA BOATENG, from Ghana 🇬🇭 AFRICA 🌍 She turned out to be a scammer from Ghana 🇬🇭

[@Blue2crows]

Stupidity has no limits

[@juliethompson8685]

Neither does cruelty.

[@gdolly166]

Don't give any money to anyone you know or don't know.

[@racpatrice]

My heart breaks for victims of these crimes especially elderly, lonely people who simply may not be aware this happens 😔. Last year I started talking to someone online and he tried love bombing me within the first month of us chatting which was the first red flag for me...eventually after six months of chatting he asked me for money. That was all I needed to know. I told him NO. He called me for the first time after I told him no (because we only messaging before, he always had an excuse as to why we couldn't do video calls or talk on the phone), and I heard his Africian accent, he was trying hard to hide it to make himself sound like a native American 😂. I called him out for being a scammer and blocked him. Anytime they ask for money say hell no!!!!

[@user-ux8ki6yd3k]

Bravo, WORLDCYBERTEAM. I’m so glad you’re out there fighting these scumbags. We must do everything in our power to protect the elderly and the general public from these despicable scammers. You’re a true hero, ✊

[@loreneaustin5304]

Goshen was in on it. I hope they find out the truth. I thought it was going to be a week of several stories, but everyday it's a re-edit of Laura Kowal.

[@mommynab]

Of course she was, so was Laura. They were all breaking the law. The question is, was Gosha set up because she was stupid enough for fall in love and a Nigerian scammer then do his dirty work. The layers run deep like a ponzi scheme using America's desperate need to love and attention. Unfortunately if this girl's mom was alive, sounds like she would be on trial too. Creating fake corporations, wow.

[@paulchezkari6952]

Please go to your local shelter and adopt a rescue dog.

[@jawsbond69]

Scammers don't care about damn victims....very cruel

[@mopes2713]

Wow people are such suckers. It’s so sad that people don’t have the mental discipline to not fall for this stuff.

[@w3s77]

Greed, oure and simple. The "victims" are just greedy scumbags.

[@weldinggirl]

Wow Kelly I’m happy you put your moms story out for the world to see and help others, but you MUST get yourself help for the anger you have, I couldn’t imagine im sure it’s easier for me to say than you to do, but the anger will not help your mom or your daughter, so if you can or believe in it, whenever you are ready please go talk to someone it will help, may your mom rest in peace I’m really sorry for your loss….

[@elenaarman-tang7811]

I'm confused. Was Kelly's mom murdered or did she commit suicide?

[@lorrainea.285]

So her mom didn’t have a mind of her own??????????????????🙄

[@open3256]

Are we supposed to feel sorry?

[@luciboras]

Corporations has become are too big to care.

[@AmericanTeacher-USA]

Desperation.

[@ShannonsBibleStudy]

Dating coaches that tell women they are low value are grooming women to be easy targets for scams.

[@Fred-yd9md]

Dumbest among us

[@Novastar.SaberCombat]

Stay classy, humanity. Keep on destroyin' one another. That'll get you what you need once you cross beyond the void veil.

[@LawandOrder-fi5xk]

They did it to themselves by being dumb and naive.

[@ShannonsBibleStudy]

The scammer sought out dumb and naive women to take advantage of.

[@SarahRenz59]

@LawandOrder-fi5xk That's a very callous attitude. As I like to say, just because someone has a "Kick Me" sign on their back doesn't mean you put on your steel toed boots and start whaling away! We should be looking out for the vulnerable souls amongst us. My question: Where are the banks in all this? They have software that tracks their customers' deposit and withdrawal (spending) patterns. I know this because my bank has contacted me and/or froze my debit card because I made purchases that didn't fit into my usual spending pattern. Banks should institute a voluntary program allowing customers to designate a fraud alert buddy (ie, a trusted family member or long term friend). If the bank sees a customer's balance dropping precipitously, they can alert the customer and their buddy. The buddy can then try to get to the bottom of what's going on.

[@bobbobertson7568]

@@SarahRenz59 Those programs by the banks are a nice touch but ultimately it's on the ADULT to look out for themselves and avoid scams. If they don't have the IQ point to do this well that's a shame but you need to take it up with God or Mother Nature.

[@2cupojoe136]

Online dating felt safer. What’s wrong with your feelings?