• Source:JND
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The recent outburst of online dating apps has opened wide avenues for the young generations looking for love. However, apps such as Tinder, Bumble, and Facebook are also a den of scammers to dupe people via cunning tactics. In a recent case, a woman from Massachusetts lost all her savings to a Facebook partner in an orchestrated scam.

According to a report from NBC Boston, the victim met the partner online in October using Facebook's dating feature. The lady was under the impression that she was interacting with a widowed family man looking for connections.

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"He seemed to be honest and sincere, never asked anything inappropriately, no direct questions or anything like that that would lead me to make me suspicious as to who he was," the woman told the media outlet. "Talking on the phone and texting, you get very close to people, and you really think, 'This is going to happen.'"

While conversations went on favourable lines, both of them connected via video calls, and the man claimed he was busy on a pipeline project. However, things started going south as the man asked for money in April for the project and claimed he was facing issues with his bank account. "I sent him the first amount of money, and that seemed good," the woman added.

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In subsequent months, these requests kept increasing. As a response, the lady was swift to address these requests. Things turned suspicious when the man claimed he was at the hospital due to a car crash as an excuse to meet the lady at the airport. "I wish I had the last two weeks back and wouldn't have been so vulnerable in my life," as per the report, the lady said. NBC Boston added that the lady lost around $200,000, which she saved during her entire life.

How To Be Safe?

In such cases, online users are advised not to engage in financial transactions with people they meet on online dating apps. Conduct a proper offline and online check before you take the next step. Secondly, report the matter to authorities whenever you believe something is suspicious.