AARP Hearing Center
Key takeaways
- Recognize online romance and crypto scams, which can affect anyone, regardless of age or experience.
- Protect yourself by verifying online connections and discussing relationships with trusted friends or family members.
- Turn to the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline (877-908-3360) for expert advice and scam prevention support.
Summary
Romance scams and cryptocurrency fraud are on the rise, targeting people of all ages — and the consequences can be devastating. Jackie, 61, a romance and crypto scam survivor, had nearly $1 million stolen by a fake suitor — an attentive and attractive man named Brandon — she met online. The relationship moved quickly, and within a few months he suggested a sure-fire investment opportunity in cryptocurrency. She trusted him, and lost everything. (You can read more about the story here.).
Now a passionate advocate for scam prevention, Jackie has testified before the Connecticut legislature and is actively pushing for regulation of e-wallets — tools often exploited by criminals perpetrating crypto scams. By sharing her experience, she’s breaking the silence that keeps so many victims isolated, reminding everyone that anyone can be targeted.
Call the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline (877-908-3360) for tips and support to protect yourself and loved ones from scams.
The key takeaways and summary were created with the assistance of generative AI. An AARP editor reviewed and refined the content for accuracy and clarity.
Full Transcript:
[00:00:00] Impostor: Hello, beautiful. Jackie: So wonderful to hear your voice. Kathy: You’ve
met someone through an online dating app. You spent months talking every day.
[00:00:08] You trust them. Jackie: This person really cares about me. Kathy: They offer to
help you with your retirement investments. Jackie: We were planning this life together.
Impostor:
[00:00:16] I wanted to make sure you got access to that platform we talked about. Jackie: He
went to great lengths to gain my trust.
[00:00:22] Kathy: By the time you suspect something is wrong — Jackie: It was shock. My
money was gone.
[00:00:28] Kathy: What would you do? Jackie’s story is a heartbreaking example of just how
sophisticated
[00:00:42] and cruel romance scams are. What feels like genuine connection is really
calculated manipulation.
[00:00:50] Jackie’s not alone, and her story is a stark reminder of how hope can be
weaponized in the wrong hands.
[00:00:59] Jackie: So at this particular time in my life, I was 59 years old, and I had all the
[00:01:05] things that you work 40 years for. You know, saving for your retirement.
[00:01:11] And there was just that one thing missing, being so busy, is someone to share it
with or, you know, just a companion.
[00:01:18] Now I had never done online dating, but um, I was willing to give it a try.
[00:01:26] I got on a site one of my best friends talked about, late May of 2023.
[00:01:32] I did see someone who I was like, oh my goodness. He had beautiful, like, blue
eyes. So I reached out and I was like, “Oh, I like your eyes,” as a compliment.
[00:01:42] He reached right back out to me. We began to communicate. He was like, “Oh, I
really like you.”
[00:01:52] He was pretty insistent about how much he cared for me so soon. He
[00:01:59] told me that, you know, he was a widower and he had 2 small boys.
[00:02:04] He had lost his wife and was raising these boys, stayed at home with them with
COVID, and that’s how he got really good with crypto.
[00:02:16] He was in construction and he was on this super secret government job, and we
[00:02:23] talked at least 4 or 5 times a day. He knew I worked long hours. Food would
appear, you know, 20 minutes later.
[00:02:39] You know how that made me feel. This person really cares about me, because
you know, I don’t have to come home and cook after a long day.
[00:02:46] And there were trinkets and pillows, and there’s a necklace with my picture
[00:02:52] on one side and his on the other. He went to great lengths to gain my trust and
get my guard down.
[00:03:00] I started to think of, this is someone who I could spend my life with. And
[00:03:05] that’s how he also, you know, planned it as we were planning this life together.
That was part of the trust.
[00:03:14] And then came the talk of investment. Not pushy at first,
[00:03:21] just kind of “Did you know about it?” I think that was 2 months after. That was
when I first went and
[00:03:27] borrowed 40,000 from my 401(k). Once the money leaves my bank account, you
do a wire transfer to Bitcoin.
[00:03:42] He started sending me, which ended up being fake, but they were statements
[00:03:48] of this Coinclusta, which he told me is an account that you hold your
[00:03:54] Bitcoin in and where all the profits go. The first statement he gave me of his was
like, he had invested 170,000
[00:04:04] and he had already had 2 million. Impostor: Hello, beautiful. I’m gonna be
sending you a check for a hundred grand. A payment just came in from a big job. Jackie: And
he says we’re gonna use
[00:04:16] it for investment for our future. A week later, I did get this $100,000 check and
[00:04:23] there was a person’s name on it. So I questioned him. I’m like, “Who is this
person? Why are they sending you this check?”
[00:04:29] He’s like, “Oh, she owed me money from work — construction work that I did.” It
all, like, he was always a step ahead.
[00:04:36] I told my girlfriend, I’m like, “Oh my God, you know I got this $100,000 check. I
don’t know if it’s real.”
[00:04:42] And she’s like, “You know you have to go to police, right?” And I’m like, “Of
course.” So I go to my local police station with this $100,000 check and
[00:04:53] I say, “You know, I think it’s a fraud. I’m not sure. I’ve been talking to this person
online,” and they were very dismissive.
[00:05:02] They blew me off, “Ha ha ha, see if it clears.” And I’m like, OK, great.
[00:05:08] I call the bank who issues the check and the bank is like, “Yep, it’s legit.”
[00:05:15] I’m like, OK, so it’s legit. Unbeknownst to me, all of the time that I’m sending
money, I’m
[00:05:36] thinking it’s going from Bitcoin to Coinclusta. But Coinclusta was all made up and
[00:05:41] fake, and my money was gone once it was in that e-wallet.
[00:05:48] They’re sending me fake statements. I’m thinking I’m making all this profit.
[00:05:53] There were several holidays that passed by that we were supposed to meet.
Every time, there was an excuse.
[00:06:03] “Gotta get this project done” and is “not able to get away.” I didn’t find out really
until June of 2024.
[00:06:14] I received a call. And it was from the same local police station that I had been to
[00:06:19] a year before. This detective calls me and he says, “You know, Jacqueline, we,
[00:06:24] we got a call from — an anonymous call — from an, a gentleman with a thick
Indian accent, stating that he felt sorry for
[00:06:34] you because you were being scammed.” I just had, like, a lump in my throat and a
gut punch that, oh s***. When the realization
[00:06:47] that this was all gone, it was shock.
[00:06:53] It is emotional. And I guess people expect me to, I don’t know, you want to throw
things, but it’s
[00:07:00] internalized, because I feel like sitting in this chair in front of you is gonna
[00:07:05] get more exposure for people, because we know most people are so
embarrassed. You,
[00:07:13] you’re gonna live another day and you’re gonna move on, and you’re gonna go
forward. I hope to only go forward, and again, just keep telling myself I am a victim.
[00:07:23] I did nothing wrong. Kathy: All totaled, $905,000 was stolen from Jackie.
[00:07:35] In addition, she owes $59,000 in federal and state taxes on the money
[00:07:40] she took out of her retirement account. Her case is still an active investigation.
Unfortunately,
[00:07:48] once we’ve decided someone is trustworthy, it’s hard to shift our perspective.
This can convince us to ignore signs that we might be the target of fraud.
[00:07:58] Jackie was swept into what felt like a dream connection until it became a
nightmare. The real danger of this scam is that connection. Even though it’s a calculated
[00:08:08] manipulation, it feels real to the victim. The criminals will research you, study
your online presence, and
[00:08:16] gather any personal data they can to craft highly personalized lies to gain your
trust.
[00:08:23] There are steps you can take to protect yourself, so you can hopefully recognize
a scam before that false connection is made.
[00:08:31] First, do a reverse image search to investigate the person you’re talking to. Just
look up the term “reverse image
[00:08:38] search” on your favorite search engine to learn how. If the image shows up
anywhere
[00:08:43] else with a different name attached, a scammer likely stole the picture. Second,
be sure to discuss new love interests with family and friends.
[00:08:52] All experts agree this is the best way to avoid becoming a fraud victim. Checking
in with someone who can give you perspective is invaluable.
[00:09:01] And third, always do your research before investing. There’s a lot of good
information on what to look for.
[00:09:08] Check out the consumer website of the Securities and Exchange Commission at
investor.gov.
[00:09:14] When you’re the target of a scam, the perpetrator isn’t just guessing — they’re
digging. Protecting yourself requires vigilance to recognize a fraud attempt for what it is.
[00:09:26] Jackie: Sometimes I feel like I’m in a twilight zone. I still say, “Did this really
happen?” You know, but it did.
[00:09:32] I want everyone to know there’s no look, there’s no age. If you feel like,
[00:09:39] or even think you’re being scammed, let someone know, and maybe they could
help you, or go to the police.
[00:09:46] I found out about AARP’s Fraud Watch Network through the Department of
Social Services from my state.
[00:09:53] AARP is family to me. Everyone has been so supportive. No one judged me,
which I was surprised, you know, there was no shame-blaming.
[00:10:05] Or just, oh, how could you be so, you know, stupid. I’ve now spoken to people
across the country.
[00:10:12] I’ve done webinars. It’s not something I thought I’d ever be able to do, but I
[00:10:17] feel like I don’t have a choice. You can’t change the past, but maybe you could
help some people and change the future.
[00:10:43] Kathy: By continuing to tell her story, Jackie is breaking the silence that keeps so
many victims in the shadows.
[00:10:50] If you or someone you know has been affected by fraud, we can help. AARP
Fraud Watch Network is a free resource for all.
[00:10:59] With AARP as your partner, you’ll learn how to proactively spot scams, get
guidance
[00:11:05] from our fraud specialists if you’ve been targeted, and feel more secure, knowing
that we advocate at
[00:11:10] the federal, state and local levels to protect consumers and enforce the law.
[00:11:16] You are not alone. Find out more at aarp.org/FraudWatchNetwork or call the
Fraud Watch
[00:11:24] Network Helpline at 877- 908-3360.
