Being scammed is one of the most devastating things that can happen to someone. It's something that's hard to live down - not only the feeling of deceit but also the monetary impact itself.
Now imagine that it happened because of your love for music. That's exactly what happened to a 63-year-old Pennsylvania woman, per Whiskey Riff.
She ended up losing $384,000 in a romance scam. Before you judge, let's put things into perspective. It's easy to fall into the trap of these scammers - because things can sometimes be too good to be true.
Imagine your celebrity crush messages you professing their love. Again, sounds too good to be true, right? Some people, especially those who aren't as tech-savvy, would easily fall for that.
We aren't fully sure of the details as to who exactly it was - but we know it was an "up and coming" country star who was impersonated in this case.
She and the scammer had started talking through TikTok, before the messages moved over to Telegram. (In case you're not sure what it is, it's an end-to-end encrypted messaging app that's often used by scammers).
The scammer had repeatedly asked her for large amounts of money through Apple gift cards.
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How Do I Protect Myself and My Loved Ones From a Scammer?
The FBI have posted some helpful tips on how to keep you and your family safe from possible romance scams.
These are:
- Be careful what you post and make public online. Scammers can use details shared on social media and dating sites to better understand and target you.
- Research the person's photo and profile using online searches to see if the image, name, or details have been used elsewhere.
- Go slowly and ask lots of questions.
- Beware if the individual seems too perfect or quickly asks you to leave a dating service or social media site to communicate directly.
- Beware if the individual attempts to isolate you from friends and family or requests inappropriate photos or financial information that could later be used to extort you.
- Beware if the individual promises to meet in person but then always comes up with an excuse why he or she can't.
- If you haven't met the person after a few months, for whatever reason, you have good reason to be suspicious.
- Never send money to anyone you have only communicated with online or by phone.
