‘Vulnerable’ woman loses $200k to social media romance scammer

A ‘vulnerable’ Cairns woman has been tricked into handing over $200,000 to an online fraudster who built trust through a fake social media account before stripping the victim of hard-earned cash.

Detective Acting Inspector Cindy Searle warns residents to be wary of Romance Scams after a 60-year-old Cairns woman lost $200,000. Picture: Peter Carruthers

A lonely and vulnerable Cairns woman has been tricked into handing over $200,000 to an online fraudster who built trust through a fake social media account before stripping the victim of hard-earned cash.

Cairns police have warned residents to be vigilant and aware of romance scams, which can cost victims a significant amount of money.

Detective Acting Inspector Cindy Searle said the 60-year-old single woman was conned into handing over money in a series of payments during a long period.

“In this instance, (the ruse) was about a person who was deployed on (military) service and had some difficulties with accessing their own funds and their own ability to be financially secure,” she said.

Cairns police have issued a warning about romance scams after a Far North woman was ripped off $200,000.

“We were given information in relation to what was happening with the victim, and we then commenced investigations from there.”

Inspector Searle said scammers invest heavily in learning how to identify targets and what to say to extract money from victims.

“If they appear a bit lonely in a response to a communication, well, they will have a script, so to speak, about how that runs and how they can engage the victim with that emotional vulnerability.”

Police said it was not clear if the scammer was based in Australia or overseas and to date no arrests had been made.

Often faced with feelings of embarrassment and shame, Inspector Searle said it can be difficult for victims to come forward and speak out.

She advised anyone to be very wary if contacted by someone they don’t know through social media apps.

“The biggest thing that they need to understand is it’s not their fault people make mistakes, and you are allowed to trust people,” she said.

“You have to forgive yourself, and you have to seek help so that you can understand that it’s not your fault.

“If you meet somebody online, if you don’t know them in person, or you don’t know somebody who knows them personally, be very cautious, because they are probably not who they’re saying they are.

“They may ask you to send money, they may ask you to send cash in packages, make an online transfer either in cryptocurrency or funds, or even open accounts they can access.”

Police stated the likelihood of the woman ever recovering the lost money was “fairly low.”

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Originally published as ‘Vulnerable’ woman loses $200k to social media romance scammer