The "Sweetheart Scam" - Not Just For Elders

infopop · #1 21st March 2016, 11:27 AM

I receive various email newsletters and mailings from groups such as the National Resource Center on LGBT Aging, SAGE, (Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders), and others.

I received an email from the National Resource Center last week called Looking for Love? First Look Out for You!. This goes to a page on their web site with a short two-page fact sheet of "Tips on How LGBT Elders Can Avoid the Infamous Sweetheart Scam."

Reading it, I realized despite the three intro statistics, this is not just for seniors or those of us over 50. Anyone of any age who is looking for a friend (or more) can benefit from this.

The intro tells us:

Quote:

Did you know?

• 34% of LGBT older Americans live alone
• 32% of us are concerned about being lonely or growing old alone
• 40% of us report shrinking support networks

These numbers mirror the non-LGBT population, too, which is why older Americans are targeted by scammers and fraudsters. And, notwithstanding recent milestones in LGBT history, there are additional considerations faced by those of us who are gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender. For example, in some places you may not feel safe coming out as LGBT.

The Sweetheart Scam is one of the most widely utilized modes of preying upon a victim to amass financial gain. It’s a scheme that can be perpetrated online or in-person. The scammer convinces their victim that they are in love, using the emotion to bilk money from the unsuspecting person—oftentimes a lonely elder.

The fact sheet goes on with great advice on how to avoid being scammed. It applies to what they politely call "dating sites" as well as hookup apps and sites, social media (I know friends who have been taken by strangers they were "friends" with on Facebook), or for that matter, even people you might meet the old-fashioned way in person. Another friend was scammed by a guy he met in a bar.

I posted about this on the CFS Home Page this weekend and I'm also attaching a copy of the fact sheet here in case it disappears or is moved to some other location online.

~ Bob S.

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