An online acquaintance ended in financial disaster for a 73-year-old Styrian woman: a fraudster cleverly competed for the woman’s affection on Facebook and lured her into tens of thousands of euros with lies.
It probably started with an innocent message on Facebook: a 73-year-old woman from the Graz area was approached by an unknown person and apparently cleverly seduced. The deceiver (or deceivers) manipulated the woman to gain her affection.
Typical scams: alleged emergencies
“The Frenchman who supposedly lived in Poland is said to be a businessman and trades in cocoa. “He is said to be in a hospital and in urgent need of money,” is what one of the scams allegedly looked like, Styrian state police say.
The woman believed the fraudster and transferred money several times to different accounts. According to the police, the damage amounts to tens of thousands of euros. The contacts lasted from April 2023 to February 2024 and the woman has now filed a report.
When love is blind
This form of online fraud is called a “love scam”. The victim becomes involved in an affair and is subsequently financially exploited. Contact mainly takes place via social media platforms such as Facebook.
Usually this follows the same pattern: first, the fraudsters build trust, and meetings are often arranged, but never take place. The perpetrators then usually feign an emergency (they have been robbed, their child has suddenly become seriously ill or something similar) and ask for financial help.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
