PHOENIX — Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich is warning Arizonans of an online romance scam after an investigation found Valley residents tried to wire thousands of dollars overseas.
The romance scam goes like this: Scammers prey on people looking for romantic partners on dating websites. They pretend to be interested in a person then lure them into sending money overseas— usually for "medically expenses" or "travel costs."
The Attorney General's Office investigated scams originating from Ghana and found numerous Arizonans fell victim to these romance scams, according to a press release.
In May, the AG Office obtained a seizure warrant and temporarily stopped certain money transfers going from Arizona to Ghana. Over the course of 20 business days, law enforcement returned nearly $14,000 to victims.
The AG Office says you should never send money to someone you do not personally know, especially if they are overseas.
According to the U.S. Embassy in Ghana, you are likely a victim of a scam if any of the following indicators sounds familiar:
- You met a friend/ fiancé online.
- You’ve never met face to face.
- Your correspondent professed love at warp speed.
- Your friend/ fiancé is plagued with medical or other life problems requiring loans from you.
- You are promised repayment upon the inheritance of gold or gems.
- You’ve sent large sums of money for visas or plane tickets, but the person cannot seem to make it out of their home country.
- When your friend does try to leave the country, he/she gets into a car accident or is detained by immigration officials demanding payment, bribes, or proof of a certain amount of cash on hand for travel.