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A single woman was scammed out of $273K by a man posing as a U.S. Marine Corps Major on Match.com.
Yin, a 56-year-old hairstylist from Oakland, Calif., told ABC 7 that she purchased a $107 six-month membership to Match.com and started talking to “David Perez” of San Fransisco, a divorced Marine Corps Major with a 10-year-old daughter.
They hadn’t met in person but Yin told ABC 7, “I fell in love with him quickly, you know. Like really deeply fall in love with him, trust in everything he said.”
Being "in love" doesn't automatically do away with common sense, but unfortunately that happens quite often. I feel sorry that this woman was so blinded by the need for love that she allowed herself to be victimized by some internet low-life. I guess the only good thing about this would be if someone else learned from her mistake.
I think this is a lot of it. People are so desperate they believe what they want to and ignore any and all red flags.
I agree....Dr Phil has done multiple shows on this with many "catfishers" found to actually live in Africa and other foreign countries. He slowly reveals to the women the red flags they ignored....and most seem to feel ridiculous that they sent someone they did not know thousands of dollars....
Even though the article says that she was scammed out of $273K, I have a hard time believing that. I would want more details of how she gave him the money, over what time period, etc. That is just not believable at all.
You hear about this all the time with online dating, but it's usually a couple hundred dollars or at most a couple thousand. Anyone who gives someone that much money (if it is true), and has never met the person, has some deep emotional/psychological issues.
That is not to blame the victim. It's just to point out that most people with sound mind would have fished out the scammer immediately based on red flags (don't tell anyone about the relationship, deposit the money in a Chinese bank account). Then she said as soon as she walked into the restaurant and didn't see him, she thought it was probably a scam. That makes this story all the more puzzling, since she seems to be of sound mind (how could she give someone that much money without meeting them first).
If it was a hundred dollars or even a thousand dollars, I could see how love could make someone blind, but to give up that much money (unless she is super rich), is hard to understand. That is the average cost of a 20 year mortgage for someone you've never met. To go in debt for 20 years (unless she is rich), for someone you've never met is hard to fathom.
OK, I am blaming the victim.
Seriously, at what point do you take responsibility for your own short comings.
I am single and enjoy using match here and there. Nice way to meet new folks. Now I'm lucky in that I was in a awesome marriage for 30 years before losing my husband to cancer, so I'm not desperate to remarry. I was blessed once, not going to push my luck.
That being said,
1) you fall deeply in love with someone you never seen in person?? that's not love, that's make believe. that's believing in Prince charming and Pretty Woman. In real life prostitutes rarely fall in love with millionaires and prince charming ain't swooping down to rescue damsels in distress anymore.
2) Real love can handle going public. If you need to keep your "love" a secret, it ain't real.
3) People in the military are not, I repeat not disclosing "candlestine" missions to perfect strangers in emails. uhmmm he's doing a "secret" mission for the Marines yet he's telling everyone and his mother?
4) lol, lastly Uncle Sam foots the bill when they send troops overseas and they get deployment pay. why did he need her cash.
Ladies, I enjoy dating and yes I would love to be in a committed relationship again. being in love does not equal being stupid.
Even though the article says that she was scammed out of $273K, I have a hard time believing that..
Why would she need to lie about how much she got scammed by?
This scam happens all the time.
Quote:
The agency received more than 21,000 reports about romance scams in 2018, with total reported losses of $143 million.
People between the ages of 40 and 69 said they lost money at the highest rates among the different age groups. But people 70 and older lost the most money individually — about $10,000 was the median amount, the FTC says.
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