Example: How a Romance Scam Built Trust Before Asking for Money

A middle-aged woman with curly hair sits on her sofa late at night in a dark living room, lit by her laptop, smiling tenderly at a video call where the man's face is just a soft blurry glowing silhouette.

Rita met someone online and fell in love. Over weeks, he built her trust completely. Then the financial requests began, like money for his mom’s surgery, each one explained, each one urgent. She kept sending money. By the time she stopped, she had lost everything she had saved.

Looking back, Rita described the experience to the FBI as feeling completely controlled.^[1] The urgency felt real. The need for secrecy felt reasonable. The emotional bond felt genuine. None of it was.

Rita shared her story publicly because she wanted others to know: this can happen to anyone. The shame belongs with the scammer, not the victim.