Debbie Montgomery-Johnson signed up for an online dating service after her husband passed away in 2010.
She met someone who claimed to be a British businessman named Eric Cole. She said they had a two-year online courtship and she gave him over $1 million in increments even though they never met in person.
They finally video chatted in 2012 and she found out Eric Cole was a young guy from Nigeria. Needless to say she never got her money back. She is now sharing her story to warn people about these scams.
The F.B.I. says romance scams account for the for the largest financial crime losses. The victims tend to be well-educated and have some kind of emotional vulnerability. The rise in online dating has increased scams like this.