Johnston County Resident Loses Life Savings In Online Romance Scam
WILLOW SPRING – A Johnston County woman has lost her entire life savings — nearly $273,000 — after falling victim to a long-running online romance scam, authorities say.
The 62-year-old victim said the scam began over a year ago, when she met a man on Facebook who claimed to be a U.S. Army Brigadier General stationed in Syria. After weeks of friendly conversation through Facebook Messenger, the pair transitioned to private messages on WhatsApp, where the relationship quickly turned personal.
The man told the victim he was facing “documentation issues” that were preventing him from returning to the United States, and soon began requesting financial help. Over the course of a year, the victim wired funds to support what she believed were travel and legal expenses.
She only stopped sending money when she completely ran out, officials said. In total, she had sent $273,000 — her entire life savings.
This case mirrors a similar incident reported in July 2021, when another Johnston County woman, age 47, lost her home and $83,000 to an online romance scam. In both cases, the scammers used fabricated military identities to gain trust and emotionally manipulate their victims.
The Johnston County Sheriff’s Office confirmed an investigation is underway but noted that recovery of the stolen funds is unlikely. Romance scams are often perpetrated by international criminal networks, making legal recourse difficult.
Scammers are professionals at what they do and know exactly what to say and how to say it, often preying on trust, isolation, and hope from their victims.
According to the FBI, romance scams are one of the fastest-growing types of online fraud. Criminals often use stolen photos and fake identities to create convincing online personas. Victims are commonly contacted via social media or dating websites.
The FBI advises:
- Be cautious of anyone who seems “too perfect” online.
- Be wary of excuses for not meeting in person.
- Never send money to someone you’ve only met online.
- Reverse-search profile photos to see if they appear elsewhere.
If you suspect you or someone you know may be the target of a romance scam, report it immediately to local law enforcement and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.
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10 Comments
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A little common sense… that all is needed to not fall victim.
Preying on lonely and desperate people is cruel. What I don’t get is if she thought he was a General in the military, why would he need money and why would he have documentation issues with getting back to America? It’s like these people want to believe so bad that the person they’re interested in is real. It takes all common sense away from them. Unreal. I do feel bad she lost that much money but she was very gullible and naive. Just no awareness. She lost all her money and the person she thought she was in love with isn’t real. Tough.
Should have lost every penny! A fool and her money!! ….. at that age if she doesn’t better good enough for her! SMH!!
What an utterly cruel and heartless comment.
Please! When it comes to anything online, question everything!!! Never send money to someone you’ve never seen. And if you have met/know them in person please do not give them money until you’ve consulted with a trusted individual. If you do not have a trusted individual in your life, please consult your bank or the police! They want to help! Please, never be ashamed or embarrassed to ask for assistance! It’s better to be safe than sorry!
Lonely people will do stupid things to be happy and appreciated. Sad that people prey on them and they are foolish enough to fall for their tactics
BWW! You should be ASHAMED!! What if that was your mother! They prey on the elderly especially. This is terrible. I feel so bad for her. BWWW, maybe you’ve should compensate her since you like running your mouth!!! 🤬🤬
She met a man on Facebook who claimed to be a U.S. Army Brigadier General stationed in Syria.
This particular scam originates in Nigeria. She just gave some 16 year old Nigerian enough money to make him a king over there. I’m sure he appreciates it. SMH!
Facebook has become a source of evil victimizing the lonely in many ways.
I’d love to be able to find the lowlife piece of crap and “fix” the problem. 🤨