Dießen - Promise the great love and then rip off - this was the experience of a 57-year-old from the northern municipality of Dießen.
She transferred a five-digit amount to a man with whom she only had contact via the app.
The woman from Dießen met the man through a dating app in early September. According to the Upper Bavaria North Police Headquarters, he posed as a civil engineer who was working in Turkey. Since the two had been in close contact via a messaging app for several weeks, she trusted the man when he asked for help in October: he would no longer have access to his account and she should help him with several transfers. The 57-year-old then transferred a low five-digit amount, but then became suspicious and filed a complaint.
This type of scam is called romance scamming.
The scammers look for their victims in online dating sites or social networks and ensnare them until they fall in love with their virtual counterpart.
At some point there comes the question of money - which many transfer because they are already emotionally dependent, according to the police.
The Fürstenfeldbruck detective advises caution especially if contact can only be established via chat, email or telephone.
