COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Love hurts — especially when it’s all a scam.

Many well-intentioned singles look for love online, but criminals hide behind some of those profiles, seeking to steal hearts and drain bank accounts. That’s exactly what happened to one central Ohio woman, who gave thousands of dollars to a man she believed was her match, until she realized it was all too good to be true.

She, and her adult daughter, called Better Call 4 for help, and to share the cautionary tale, anonymously. It was May of last year, when she ventured into the world of online dating. She matched with a “man” named “Rob,” and their relationship bloomed quickly over the next several weeks, though they never met, face to face.

“We talked on the phone,” she said. “We emailed and we texted. So, there was a lot of communications.” She said “Rob” was an engineer in Columbus, but won a contract to do some work in Africa.

“Well, when he got over there, one of his suitcases did not come through, and it was the one with all of his tools and his implements in it.”

“Rob” told her his credit card was also inside the lost luggage. After some back and forth conversations, he eventually asked her for financial help. She eventually agreed and sent him a cashier’s check in the amount of $5,500 taken from her home equity line of credit. Days later, he said he needed more money — $25,000. Then again, he asked her for $40,000. And again, $86,000.

She agreed and sent him four separate checks. Then, just days later, “Rob” requested another $73,000. But around the same time, she said a conversation with a friend changed everything.

“We were talking, and she says, ‘Well, I’m talking with someone. I’m, you know,’ and everything. And he was in England, and he had a son. Everything she told me was clicking, and I’m like, ‘Oh, crap!” Almost two months and about $156,500 later, she realized it was all a scam — a scam that the Better Business Bureau of Central Ohio sees all too often.

“They create fake profiles online, they make a connection with someone online ,they build a trusted relationship with this person,” said BBB of Central Ohio President Judy Dollison. Then, after a few weeks, Dollison said the scammer creates a phony, emergency situation.

“An emergency comes up. And even though, often times, they profess to be very wealthy, they need financial help with the emergency in order to get through it,” said Dollison.

The BBB said older adults are often targeted by these schemes. That’s why the agency wants to make sure you know how to stop a romance scam before it starts:

• Do your research. Even on an established dating site, many scammers steal photos from social media to create their profiles. Do a web search first.
• Be wary of someone who doesn’t want to show their face.
• Always keep your money to yourself.

“Never, in general, send money to someone you’ve never met in-person, or really don’t have that much information about,” said Dollison.

As for the woman who called Better Call 4, at 79-years-old, she’s struggling to pay back the remaining balance of about $70,000 to her bank. So far, none of the agencies she’s reported to, including her bank, have been helpful with getting her any of that money back.

Better Call 4 is still working to help her with that, and will bring you any updates.