“She fell in love on the Internet; it`s what we call a Sweetheart Scam. She believed she was going to marry a US Soldier stationed over in Nigeria,” says Ricky Vida, a US Postal Inspector.
The victim was told her sweetheart was in the middle of divorcing his current wife.
He asked if she would pawn some jewelry she would receive in the mail and then wire the money to him in Africa.
“She showed us the text messages she was receiving from her love interest overseas-- her Sweetheart,” says Vida.
Instead of love - this victim found herself caught in a scam.
“This individual is what we call a 'money mule' -a middleman,” says Vida.
The jewelry sent to her was essentially stolen in an online auction scam.
Here`s how it works: Someone trying to sell something online receives an email from an interested buyer.
“The email would be a spoof email it would appear like it is from PayPal. There would be a request for a tracking number then once I get the tracking number you'll get your money from PayPal,” says Vida.
So the seller goes to the post office and sends the merchandise to get the tracking number then quickly realizes he's been duped.
“The seller wouldn't receive payment or anything and would be out the jewelry or other things they were selling online,” says Vida.
Those 'goods' are sent to a middle man - like the victim in the sweetheart scam - who has no idea the merchandise is part of a rip-off scheme.
A warning to online sellers:
“The best thing you could do is closely read the email. If there are misspellings in there if the language doesn't seem right, be aware it could be a spoof email,” says Vida.
If you have any doubts - postal inspectors say do not reply to the email.
“The most important thing you can do, just contact the business and ask them about it,” says Vida.
