A woman from the Midwest is facing 29 years in prison and thousands in fines after becoming a pawn in a cybercriminal’s $300,000 money laundering scheme.
Jean was just playing Words with Friends, an online game, when she was contacted by two different gentlemen who quickly gained her trust without ever meeting her.
The first man was able to make off with thousands of dollars after trapping Jean in a romance scam and convincing her that she was just loaning her new boyfriend some money.
However, the next scam took things to another level, tricking Jean into becoming a ‘money mule,’ unknowingly transferring illegally obtained cash for the cybercriminal.
While the unseen scammers will likely get away scot-free, Jean is now in an expensive legal battle to keep herself out of jail.
Unfortunately, Jean fell for some of the most common and devastating schemes used by online criminals.
In both cases, she was tricked by the sense of urgency the scammers placed on her. Then, she allowed them to move the conversation to a messaging platform like WhatsApp or Telegram that couldn’t be traced by police.
Once isolated, she sadly failed to verify the trust and love she put in these gentlemen by researching whether they were actually real people.
Jean was just playing Words with Friends when she was contacted by two different gentlemen who quickly gained her trust without ever meeting her (Stock image)
Jean said she lived independently and was financially comfortable, adding that she’s the type to triple-check her passwords and watches documentaries on scam.
During a session of Words with Friends, the multi-player mobile crossword game, a man reached out to Jean claiming that he had read her online profile and found her elegant and intriguing.
The man’s profile showed a handsome, worldly gentleman who allegedly worked in the oil industry.
Jean said she was flattered, but cautious. She’d heard the warnings about online romance scams. However, the man wasn’t pushy. He was patient, kind, and attentive.
Within days, they were chatting regularly. A short while later, he asked if they could move their conversation to WhatsApp.
‘It’s encrypted,’ he said. ‘More private. Safer from hackers.’
Jean noted that it made sense to her as she was familiar with privacy concerns. She trusted his logic and said she felt there was a connection between them grounded in mutual respect.
The scammer even remembered little details she mentioned. He’d ask about her day and told her about his work. The online friendship quickly became an online romance.
That’s when the first request arrived. The man Jean was falling for was allegedly having trouble accessing one of his business accounts while overseas and asked if she could help cover a temporary shortfall.
She sent a few thousand dollars which he promised to pay back the loan within days. Jean said she thought it was one-time thing and wired the money.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t a one-time thing. New complications supposedly arose, including a delayed wire, a locked account, and a foreign tax mix-up.
Jean confessed that she became emotionally invested in making the romance work out and kept sending the money – but never saw it again.
Jean fell for some of the most common and devastating schemes used by online criminals, including sending money to someone she never met (Stock image)
At that point, another gentleman contacted Jean with an investment opportunity. He showed her the potential to make large amounts of money investing in stocks and cryptocurrency.
Despite what just happened with her online romance, the sales pitch convinced Jean. She set up an account and made a small investment.
She was given a login to the account and could see her money growing rapidly, encouraging her to invest even more money.
When she wanted to take some of the money out, the scammer claimed there were all sorts of ‘fees and taxes’ that he needed to be paid to retrieve the profits.
After voicing her frustration, the man said he would ‘help her’ if she would help his other clients convert US dollars to Bitcoin to send to their investment accounts.
He then promised to share his commissions with Jean to help pay the fees and taxes on her own investments.
The scammer claimed that large amounts of cash needed to be converted to Bitcoin, but he couldn’t do it directly because of international restrictions. However, Jean could.
She didn’t know it at the time, but she had just become a money mule. Over the next several months, Jean converted large sums of cash into Bitcoin on the scammer’s behalf.
She believed she was helping him complete urgent financial transactions for legitimate clients. She never took a cut, never questioned the process.
Jean even paid the conversion fees from her personal funds. She thought she was doing a favor for a friend, until the Secret Service arrived at her home and told her she had been tricked into taking part in a money laundering scheme.
Jean lost over $200,000 and is now under indictment. She’s facing up to 29 years in prison and $500,000 in fines.
The online scam victim has already spent $250,000 in legal fees trying to stay out of prison and said she still hasn’t emotionally recovered from the betrayals.
Jean lost over $200,000 and is now under indictment for money laundering. She’s facing up to 29 years in prison and $500,000 in fines
Despite Jean’s cautious nature and fear of online scams, the cybercriminals still found a way to exploit her after she failed to remember these crucial tips.
Never, ever send or move money for someone you’ve never met in real life. If you haven’t shared a meal or made eye contact in person, you shouldn’t be sharing your bank account details with them.
If someone asks you to convert cash into Bitcoin, run. It’s a favorite tool of scammers because once the crypto’s gone, it’s virtually untraceable.
Urgency is the biggest red flag. If you hear phrases like ‘Don’t tell anyone’ or ‘This has to happen right now,’ stop. It’s a manipulation tactic often used in romance schemes.
Watch for requests to shift the messaging platform. If the conversation starts on Facebook but they quickly want to move to WhatsApp, Signal, or Telegram, it’s likely because those apps are harder to trace.
Finally, trust your gut but also verify. Do a reverse image search on someone’s profile pictures.
Talk to a friend or email me. Love might be blind, but your browser isn’t. Confirm that the person’s pictures are real.
Jean hopes her pain saves someone else from going through the same nightmare. She said if it could happen to her, it could happen to anyone.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .