It seems like just about everyone participates in some form of online dating these days. Even if you don’t use the apps, like Tinder or Hinge, chances are you’ve had someone slide into your DMs. And, chances are also high you might not even know this person all too well!
With online flirtations at an all time high, it’s important to keep in mind that there are a lot of scammers out there who use love and relationships as a way to swindle money from unsuspecting people. That’s what one scammer attempted with this woman, but she quickly put a stop to it.
Patti Gouff saw a DM on Instagram one day from someone she didn’t know, and she knew it was too good to be true.
Fortunately, she immediately knew that something was up. Rather than falling for this man, she started to record their conversations.
They had a fake online romance that lasted for 5 weeks in which he sent her photos, teddy bears, and a photo of an engagement ring he wanted to buy her. Maybe if it were someone else, she would have fallen for it, but Patti knew better.
He seemed like maybe he could have been a perfect man, until the moment it started to unravel.
Although Patti always knew something was up with this, a lot of his lies sounded so good, she wished they could have been real. But that all changed when he asked her for $5,000 as a loan.
Be wary of this scam.
This online behavior is not unusual, according to Fraud and the National Consumers League. In fact, it happens a lot. Often called “sweetheart swindles” or “scams of the heart”, and it often follows a similar pattern of behavior. The scammer will begin by lavishing love and attention on the person they are trying to scam, sending romantic messages and saying that they want to commit.
After building up trust and getting their victim emotionally invested, the scammer then begins to ask for money for all sorts of reasons, either to come visit the victim, to pay for medical bills, or some other reason of dire need. This never materializes into a real relationship and it always costs the victim a lot of money. In fact, in 2018, it cost a total of $143 million, according to Federal Trade Commission.
Finally, the real man behind the picture stepped forward…
Well, the man whose picture was being used for the scam, anyway.
No, he is not the same person as the scammer himself. His name is Joe Court, and he insists he would never take part in this. He is actually another victim of this type of scam, whose photos were stolen and then used to scam women. He says that his photos have been used to scam at least 30-40 women over the last 10 years!
Patti then decided that it was time to confront the real scammer.
She was tired of his lies and he needed to know that the jig was up. She spoke with him on a phone call that was captured by an Inside Edition news team.
When the scammer says he loves her, she delivers this epic response.
Over the phone, the scammer tells her he loves her. She asks “You love me?”, to clarify. When he replies yes, she says:
“You haven’t even met me yet.”
Smart lady!
Eventually, she discovered the man’s real identity.
Turns out, this man did not live in New York, as he claimed. He actually lived in Nigeria, and he sent Patti videos of his life to prove it. Although Patti and this man do not talk anymore, Patti does have a lot of sympathy for women who get scammed in this way. She says:
“I can see why women fall for these gentlemen, because they tell you everything that a woman wants to hear.”
Not everyone gets this level of closure with their romantic scams.
It’s important to be mindful and alert of everyone you may meet online. If you meet someone online and start falling for them, don’t rush to give them money, and in fact, maybe wait until you’ve at least met in person.
Watch the video below to see Patti confront her scammer and meet the real man in the photos!
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