CRIMINAL CONSEQUENCES AND WOMEN
WHO ARE SHARING THEIR STORIES
ARE MASKED TO PROTECT THEIR
IDENTITIES.
>> WHAT DROVE ME TO HIM WAS HIS
EYES.
>> THEY GET YOUR TRUST BY SAYING
THINGS THAT YOU WANT TO HEAR.
>> OUT OF THE BLUE, HE BLURTS, I
LOVE YOU.
THREE WOMEN FROM ACROSS THE
COUNTRY WHO SHARE A COMMON LINK,
ALL OF THEM FOUND LOVE INTERESTS
ON DATING SITES.
FOR THEIR PROTECTION, YVONNE,
HELL SXN DENISE ASKED US NOT TO
USE THEIR REAL NAMES, INTRODUCED
TO NBC NEWS BY AARP AND THE BBB,
THESE WOMEN WANTED TO SHARE
THEIR STORIES TO WARN OTHERS
ABOUT A NEW ONLINE SCHEME ASKING
TARGETS TO LAUNDER MONEY.
>> HOW MANY OF YOU THOUGHT YOU
WERE HELPING SOMEONE WHEN YOU
WERE ASKED TO DEPOSIT CHECKS AND
GIVE MONEY?
>> YOU DONT EVEN HAVE TO ASK.
YES, ABSOLUTELY.
>> DENISE SAYS SHE FELL IN LOVE
WITH A MAN NAMED ALEC.
HE SENT HER FLOWERS.
EVENTUALLY SHE SENT LIMB MORE
THAN $5,000.
BUT WHEN DENISE RAN OUT OF CASH,
ALEX OFFERED TO SEND HER MONEY
IN THE FORM OF AN UNEMPLOYMENT
CARD.
>> HE HAD ME TAKE THE MONEY FROM
THAT CARD, BUY MONEY ORDERS WITH
IT, SENDING THE MONEY ORDERS --
PUTTING THEM IN MY ACCOUNT AND
TAKING THE MONEY OUT AND SENDING
HIS BITCOIN.
>> THESE MONEY MULE LOVE SCHEMES
ARE EXPLODING ONLINE AR CORDING
TO THE LABOR DEPARTMENTS
INSPECTOR GENERAL AT LEAST 10%
OF THE $360 BILLION C.A.R.E.S.
ACT WAS IMPROPERLY ISSUED,
MOSTLY THROUGH FRAUD.
THE FBI SAYS MANY OF THE PEOPLE
COMPLIMENTING UNEMPLOYMENT FRAUD
OFTEN KRAELT FAKE PROFILES ON
DAUTING FRAUD TO CLEAN THEIR
STOLEN MONEY.
>> SO YVONNE, WHEN DID YOU
REALIZE THAT YOU WERE BEING USED
TO LAUNDER MONEY?
>> HE SAID SOME OTHER MONEY WAS
COMING IN THE MAIL.
LATER THAT DAY, THE ENVELOPE WAS
IN MY MAIL AND THERE WAS A FEW
THOUSAND DOLLARS CASHIERS CHECK
WHICH WAS SUPPOSED TOing, AGAIN,
WHERE THE UNEMPLOYMENT CHECKS
WERE GOING.
WELL, OKAY, ENOUGH.
>> YVONNE HAD THE DEPOSITS
REVERSED AND CLOSED HER BANK
ACCOUNT.
FOR HELEN, THE WARNING BELLS
WENT OFF AFTER THE NEW MAN IN
HER LIFE OFFERED TO HELP WITH
RENT.
HE TOLD HER SHE COULD KEEP PART
OF THE $5,000 DEPOSIT IF SHE
WOULD BE WILLING TO WITHDRAW THE
REMAINING CASH AND DELIVER IT TO
SOMEONE ELSE IN PERSON.
>> I WAS LIKE THIS SOUNDS LIKE
MONEY LAUNDERING, OH, GOD, WHAT
HAVE I DONE?
HELEN REPORTED IT IMMEDIATELY.
>> ACCORDING TO THE FBI, REPORTS
OF ROMANCE CYBER CRIMES
INCREASED 27% DURING THE
PANDEMIC TO OVER $605 MILLION.
>> HOW HAS THE PANDEMIC AFFECTED
THESE SCAN SCAMS?
>> ITS CREATED AN OPPORTUNITY
FOR THE SCAMMERS TO FIND ALL THE
REASONS TO ASK FOR MONEY AND
ITS ANOTHER EXCUSE NOT TO MEET
WITH SOMEONE IN PERSON WHICH
THEY REALLY DONT WANT TO DO.
FBI AGENT RICHARD JACOBS SAYS
THESE SCHEMES CAN HAVE CRIMINAL
IMPLICATIONS FOR VICTIMS.
>> THE MONEY YOURE SENDING
OVERSEAS ON YOUR BEHALF IN MANY
CASES IS GOING TO OTHER CRIMES,
LIKE DRUG TRAFFICKING AND HUMAN
TRAFFICKING AND EVEN FUNDING
TERRORISM.
>> SEND YOU FLOWERS, CHOCOLATES
AND THEY MAKE YOU FEEL SPECIAL
AND THEY MAKE YOU FEEL LOVED.
>> AMY IS AARPS DIRECTOR OF
FRAUD VICTIM SUPPORT.
SHE SAYS LOOK FOR THESE RED
FLAGS WHEN MEETING ANYONE
ONLINE.
SOMEONE WHO NEVER WANTS TO MEET
IN PERSON OR OVER A VIDEO CALL,
BEING TOLD I LOVE YOU FROM THE
START, ANYTIME A PERSON ASKS FOR
YOUR BANK ACCOUNT INFORMATION OR
NEEDS HELP WITH WIRE TRANSFERS.
>> WHO IS FALLING PREY TO THESE
KINDS OF SCAMS?
>> EVERYBODY.
THEY SAY OH, I HAVE A PH.D.,
ILL NEVER BE A VICTIM OF THAT.
YOUR EDUCATION LEVEL, WHERE YOU
GREW UP, HOW MUCH MONEY YOU MAKE
DOES NOT MATTER.
>> WELL, TWO OF THE WOMEN IN OUR
STORY REPORTED THEIR CASES TO
THE FBI AND, OF COURSE, ALL
THREE CONTACTED AARP AND BBB.
HELEN SAYS SHE IS NOW IN A
RELATIONSHIP WITH A GREAT GUY.
YVONNE TELLS US SHES HAPPILY
DATING, BUT ONLY WITH PEOPLE SHE
CAN MEET IN PERSON, WHICH IS
IMPORTANT.
EXPERTS SAY ITS REALLY COMMON,
BY THE WAY, FOR SCAMMERS TO GET
VERBALLY AGGRESSIVE AND TO MAKE
THREATS WHEN THEIR TARGETS TRY
TO END THE RELATIONSHIP.
SO YOU DO WANT TO REPORT WHATS
HAPPENING TO THE DATINGE WEBSITE
AND THE FBI.
FINALLY, LEAN ON YOUR FRIENDS OR
EVEN THE AARP FOR SUPPORT.
THEY HAVE AN ENTIRE HOT LINE AND
YOU DONT HAVE TO BE A MEMBER.
SOMEONE WILL TALK YOU THROUGH
THIS.
IT CAN FEEL EMBARRASSING.
>> AND THATS WHY THEY DONT
LIKE TO TALK ABOUT IT.
>> WHAT ARE SOME WAYS THAT FOLKS
CAN, I GUESS, VERIFY?
>> YEAH.
SO ONE THING THAT IS REALLY
EASY, DO A GOOGLE IMAGE SEARCH.
SO COPY THAT PICTURE, PUT IT
INTO A SEARCH ENGINE AND SEE IF
IT SHOWS UP ON MULTIPLE
PROFILES.
THATS A RED FLAG THAT THAT
PERSON IS NOT REAL.
SAME THING, PUT THEIR TEXT INTO
AN INTERNET SEARCH ENGINE AND
SEE IF IT SHOWS UP ON MULTIPLE