Police on Monday warned
against online romance scams, in which people feign a
relationship in order to extort money from lonely-hearts.
A case in point is Marco, 50, who met a woman on a dating
site and who, after months of chatting and invitations to meet
in person, found himself loaning her money she said she would
repay.
After attempting in vain to contact her in the real world,
i.e. on the telephone, Marco realized he'd been had, and
reported the woman to police.
Both men and women romance scammers aim to obtain personal
data, credit card and bank account details, police warned.
Excuses include needing money for medicines, travel, and to
pay utility bills.
Police advise anyone to be wary of people they meet online
who claim to be friends and demand money.
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