Lynchburg police are warning about romance scammers who use their victims as accomplices in criminal activities

LYNCHBURG, Va. (WDBJ) – In today’s digital age, online scams are a major problem and the Lynchburg Police Department (LPD) wants everyone to be aware of a disturbing trend.

They warn of something particularly insidious that romance scammers are doing. These scams not only break hearts, but can also push victims to commit crimes.

Police say they have seen cases where victims have been accused of crimes even when they were manipulated by a fraudster. According to police, people of all ages can become victims of this type of crime.

“Romance scams often occur online,” said Katie Jennings, LPD crime prevention specialist.

Scammers use fake identities and false charm to lure their victims into their traps.

“The people who end up being manipulated or become victims of these types of crimes are lonely and may be meeting someone on a dating app, on Facebook or another social media platform like Yahtzee or something like that,” Jennings said .

Jennings said these scammers are skilled manipulators. Once they have established trust, they often exploit their victims’ feelings – sometimes robbing them of their savings.

“The scammers build this level of trust with that person and sometimes it happens over the course of days, months or even years before the scammers start taking things or money from these people,” Jennings said.

However, some scammers go one step further and convince their victims to become so-called money mules.

“A money mule is someone who uses their good name, good credit and good bank account to launder money that could come from human or drug trafficking,” Jennings said.

According to LPD, people in Lynchburg have been prosecuted for involvement in such crimes. Last year, Virginians lost $205 million to fraud. The median monetary loss was $500.

“There have been cases in the city of Lynchburg where someone who was a victim of a romance scam became a money mule and ended up being charged. And depending on the amount and amount, it could be a felony,” Jennings said.

LPD recommends that anyone who believes they are a victim of this type of fraud to immediately cut ties with the scammer and contact local law enforcement.

LPD regularly posts fraud safety videos on its social media pages on Friday.

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