Cape Town is being turned into an international cybercrime capital thanks to a dating scam which targets middle-aged women on platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook.
The Sunday Times reported that online scammers are stealing billions of rands from vulnerable women using this dating scam.
According to the report, criminals are using WhatsApp, Facebook, and dating sites to target desperate middle-aged women.
The scammers create fake profiles to build a relationship with victims, and after they built a romantic relationship, they make up a story to ask for money.
A prosecutor who specialises in commercial crimes said the scammers were all Nigerians based in Cape Town.
These criminals target English-speaking women in South Africa, America, Australia, New Zealand, England, and Canada.
Unlike typical 419 scams which rely on greed by promising quick riches to victims, this dating scam abuses vulnerable women’s desire for love.
There are common threads in many of these dating scams:
These scams can drag on for months, fleecing victims out of as much money as possible.
The Federal Trade Commission in the United States published warning signs to look out for when identifying a scammer.
The scammers often say they are living or travelling abroad. These jobs include being a soldier, an international doctor, or working on an oil rig.
These dating or romance scammers then ask for money to:
The simple way to avoid falling victim is to never send money or gifts to someone you haven’t met in person.
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