Online scam artists are taking advantage of people on dating sites at a frightening rate, using their skill at creating intimate online relationships to separate their victims from their money. NBC 4 consumer investigative reporter Randy Mac says the scam artists don’t just prey on the elderly but younger people as well.
“It’s not a crime that’s specific to any race, any gender, any orientation, it is happening across the board. Everybody is getting hit, according to the FBI. I mean, $15 million a month in the Southern California area alone. That’s not just coming from the pocket of senior citizens. That’s coming from everyone with disposable income. The average amount people are losing is between five and ten thousand dollars but the most is $400,000.”
Mac says victims, often lonely, emotionally fragile people, develop a feeling of closeness to the scam artists because they’ve shared pictures and messages for weeks or even months before they get hit up for a large sum of money. Randy Mac’s report airs on NBC 4. He was a guest on 790 KABC’s McIntyre in the Morning with Doug McIntyre and Terrie Rae Elmer.
