Asking Eric: Is son’s online relationship with Brazilian woman just green card marriage ploy? | #femalescammers

Dear Eric: My 22-year-old son has met a 36-year-old woman in Brazil on the internet. He has fallen for her and is planning to go there this summer for at least three months.

My husband and I are very worried. He doesn’t speak the language, although he is learning it. He hasn’t traveled by himself before and there are advisories for traveling to Brazil.

We worry about this woman’s motives. He has been sending her money. One friend cautioned that she may be looking to marry him as a way to come to the United States.

He is an adult, but we are very worried and don’t want him to go. What advice do you have?

– Long Distance

Dear Distance: As someone who had one of the most transformational experiences of my life travelling solo to Brazil, your son’s situation makes me sad because this has some of the warning signs of a romance scam and there are so many better, non-scam ways to be introduced to the country.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, there were more than 64,000 reported romance scams in 2023, raking in $1.14 billion dollars. The FBI has a special webpage specifically dedicated to them. Visit FBI.gov or the Internet Crime Complaint Center (ic3.gov) and see if any of the common tactics resonate with what you’re seeing in your son’s case.

There you’ll also find guidance for how to talk to your son about what he’s doing and how to encourage him to think more critically about his actions. He’s not alone in this. And, certainly, long-distance love can and does happen. But those connecting with others they haven’t met, especially others who are asking for money, need to exercise a lot more prudence.