Online romance scams victimize thousands of people hungry for love each year. The victims are mostly women because there's a belief that men are too ashamed to report to the authorities that they got duped. Romance fraud is a million-dollar industry, and most scams originate from countries in West Africa and former Soviet Union states.
Russian dating scams aren't always perpetrated by Russians, however. Back in 2004, an American man named Robert McCoy was in the news. He and his wife were both arrested for trying to defraud fellow citizens of thousands of dollars in a Russian bride scam. He'd use his Russian wife when he needed a woman's voice and Russian accent.
How Online Romance Scams Work
There are about 1,500 online dating websites that offer the same thing: an opportunity to find love. Not all these sites are dubious, and a lot of them are subscription-based services that have members with sincere intentions. However, with the sheer number of lonely people signing-up, there will always be plenty of predators hiding in plain sight.
The romance scam starts with the victim receiving a response to his ad from someone with a supermodel-like profile picture. The scammer always makes first-contact, because this gives him/her more control of the situation.
In most romance fraud horror stories, the "love interest" could pose as any of the following:
- A good-looking actor/actress or model that's much younger than the victim
- Belonging to a rich or royal family (prince/princess)
- An active member of the military
- A widow or widower who has children
- A professional (engineer, doctor, etc.)
- In an abusive relationship that necessitates leaving the country
These are only some of the identities these fraudsters might assume. The common thread is that they appear to be younger, good looking, and rich. Most will carry a sob story of why they need help leaving their own country. Others pose as these loaded individuals who don't need money but will need partners in an investment.
Hook, Line, and Sinker
When the con artist makes an irresistible profile and turns on the charm, victims find it hard to resist. It's like they fall under a hypnotic spell they can't break. It could be the excitement of a younger person taking interest or the tug of emotions from a sob-story.
In any case, the thinking process goes out of the window, and any rational thought gets crushed by primal urges. Following a few emails, phone calls, and messages, the con-artist would claim to be madly in love with the victim.
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