All articles tagged with #romance scam
Marianne Flippo, a widow with a Roblox-related fortune, purchased a $15.9 million landmarked mansion in Manhattan's Kips Bay neighborhood in April 2026. She later alleged that her companion, Gregg Starr, a male escort, defrauded her of millions, leaving her bank account with only $12.61.
Six Nigerians accused of orchestrating romance scams are set to be extradited to the United States to face fraud charges, marking a cross-border effort to crack down on cyber-enabled scams.
A man and a woman allegedly posed as a San Francisco 49ers player and his “investment adviser,” using fake investments and social media to lure women across Oregon, Washington, Idaho and California. They created fictitious accounts, staged video calls showing inflated gains, and pressured victims to send or borrow money, netting about $1.3 million from at least 26 victims; authorities say there could be more. Both were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud, and were arrested in Boise.
A woman who says she was Love’s final romantic partner says he continued courting her through Aug. 24, the day federal agents arrested him and his alleged accomplice for posing as a San Francisco 49ers player and defrauding dozens of women of about $1.3 million in a romance- and investment-scamming scheme; her TikTok includes trips, gifts such as a Corvette and a diamond ring, and messages about “building for the future,” suggesting the scheme persisted until the arrest.
Two men were arrested in Idaho for a romance-based investment scam in which one posed as a San Francisco 49ers player and the other as his adviser, defrauding at least 26 women of more than $1.3 million across California, Oregon, Washington and Idaho by peddling fake investments and using three-way FaceTime calls to show fake gains; victims were pressured into loans or sending funds, and investigators believe there are more victims.
Federal prosecutors say Daejon Love and Taylor Chan posed as a San Francisco 49ers player and his adviser to charm at least 26 women across California, Oregon, Washington and Idaho, staging three-way calls to show fake investment gains and pressuring victims to take out loans. They allegedly stole about $1.3 million before being arrested in Boise; investigators believe additional victims may exist.
Fourteen people in Ohio are charged with nearly $60 million in fraud across Medicaid, a romance scam, and fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loans, announced at a Columbus-area news conference led by Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche. The indictments surface amid a partisan fight over Medicaid fraud and immigration, with Republicans highlighting enforcement and Democrats arguing the issue is being politicized.
A San Francisco retiree wired more than $500,000 to a woman he met online after months of romance, believing they’d start a new life together. The scam, a so-called pig-butchering scheme leveraging crypto promises, led funds to overseas accounts in Malaysia and Vietnam. Despite repeated warnings from family and friends and alerts to authorities, the victim pressed on, later realizing the supposed multi-million crypto stash required a $25,000 unlock fee and that he’d been scammed. The case highlights how persistent online romance scams can drain life savings even in the face of clear red flags.
A 76-year-old Belgian man traveled 760 km to meet a French beauty queen he believed was his fiancée, only to discover he had been scammed and was met by her husband, highlighting the dangers of online romance fraud.
A Miami man lost $42,000 in an Ethereum investment scheme that began with a romance scam on Instagram, using the photograph of a woman claiming to be a CEO of Estee Lauder. The victim made small investments and saw gains, but when he tried to withdraw the funds, he was asked to pay, and his money disappeared. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission reported that losses to romance scams totaled $1.14 billion in 2023, advising people to never send money to anyone they haven't met in person and to be suspicious of promises of increasing their nest egg.
Victims in the United States are falling prey to a sophisticated cryptocurrency romance scam, known as "pig butchering," orchestrated by crime syndicates in Southeast Asia. Using digitally altered deepfake videos and AI-generated profile pictures, scammers lure victims into fake crypto investments through online dating apps. The FBI reported over 40,000 people losing more than $3.5 billion to cryptocurrency fraud in 2021, but many victims are too ashamed to report the crime. Recovery is difficult, and some victims even fall prey to fake recovery agents, leading to self-harm and financial devastation.
Spanish police have arrested a 43-year-old Pakistani man in connection with the killing of three siblings in their 70s, reportedly over debts linked to an online romance scam. The suspect had previously attacked one of the sisters and had lent them at least $55,000, which they had never repaid. The tragedy is believed to be linked to a fake online love affair, where the sisters were led to believe they would receive a multi-million-dollar inheritance. Romance scams are not uncommon, with recent cases in the U.S. involving swindling victims out of large sums of money.
A woman from Kentucky claims she was catfished and scammed out of $10k by someone pretending to be Dacre Montgomery, known for his role in "Stranger Things." The woman divorced her husband after the fake actor told her to choose between him and her spouse. Despite the real Dacre Montgomery being in a relationship since 2017, the woman believed the imposter's story and sent money through gift cards, crypto, and payment apps. This incident highlights the dangers of romance scams, where scammers exploit emotional vulnerability to gain trust and manipulate victims into sending money.
Peaches Stergo, a Florida woman, has been sentenced to over four years in prison for swindling over $2.8 million from an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor in a "romance scam" that lasted for years. Stergo met the victim on a dating website and fabricated stories to convince him to send money, including claiming she needed funds from a legal settlement. She also sent heartless text messages mocking the victim's love for her. Stergo will forfeit her home and luxury items and has been ordered to pay restitution. The FBI warns that romance scams are on the rise, with losses totaling nearly $1 billion in 2021 alone.
Peaches Stergo, a Florida woman, has been sentenced to over four years in prison for stealing nearly $3 million from an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor. Stergo posed as a love interest and convinced the victim to write 62 checks totaling over $2.8 million, leaving him broke. She used the money to live a life of luxury, traveling and buying expensive items. Stergo pleaded guilty to wire fraud and will also face a $2.8 million restitution and forfeiture order. The judge described her actions as "unspeakably cruel" and motivated by greed.