Romance scam victim speaks out on "psychological manipulation" that cost her $2.5 million

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Published 2024-04-22
In this web exclusive, “Sue,” a retiree who agreed to speak with CBS News under a pseudonym, says she became a victim of a romance scammer and lost her home and nearly $2.5 million to someone she met on Match.com. She says the fraudsters used technology (including deceptive Skype calls) and “psychological manipulation” to lure her in: “People say, how can you give money to a stranger? He wasn't a stranger at that point." [Don't miss the four-part CBS News Investigation "Anything for Love."]

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All Comments (21)
  • @tammycraig7635
    Why isn't a man asking for money a turn off? I don't get it.
  • @carolbrennan5
    Sending entire $2mil life savings to someone she’s never met—to the point where she sold her house & became homeless/living in her car—seems an obvious question of mental competency.
  • @BeLoose1
    The strange part is that if her closest relative asked her for $20,000 she probably would have said no.
  • @8ofwands300
    She worked her whole life and made smart financial decisions, only to give it all away in 8 months to a Nigerian teenager who sent her poems he found on line. 😑😑😐😐
  • @rg2613
    This is insane. Sending 2 million to someone you’ve never met.
  • @mnelson2008
    I've been married and had long term relationships, but I'm single now. And no matter how lonely I get, I am never, ever giving a man money. Ever.
  • @tennesseeterri
    Your mistake was in thinking that conversing with a stranger online and phone was a RELATIONSHIP.
  • @jaidenSalinas
    My husband and I was scammed twice last year, totaling losses over $550k. It was a lengthy process involving federal intervention to get our money back. We need more people like Retrievebackteam taking a stand against these criminals. Much love and support from California.
  • "He wasn't a stranger at that point"! say what! No meeting in person, no video chat, no vetting of this person in any way...thats a hard lesson to learn ma'am. It's bizarre that a person can see themselves as trapped and punished when all they needed to do was hit delete.
  • @ericb8413
    I knew she was in trouble when she said “I can live with him and be poor”. She had already accepted downgrading after working her whole life. Sad. 😔
  • @jazziered142
    If they don't want to meet you within 2 weeks, and then they cancel the first time, move on. That is your first clue.
  • @bizwiz5742
    I wouldn't give a family member $2.5M; much less a stranger.
  • @mbecker5400
    How does an "international businessman" need money from someone?
  • @nonabliss
    Anybody who truly cares for you will not ask you for massive amounts of money. IMO, being broke is far worse than loneliness.
  • @wakeupbell2491
    I was going out with a man I worked with. He asked to borrow $100 so his car could be repaired & pass inspection. Then he started telling me how his mother was sick and he needed to send money back home for medication she needed. I ignored this thinly veiled request for more money. Next payday, I started asking for the $100 he owed me. After I got it, I stop seeing him, never answered his texts again, and quit not long after. THAT is how you deal with a scammer. You do not keep giving them money!!