Scam alert: Is your online lover a fraud?


7 photos
Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

SALT LAKE CITY — Around the KSL newsroom, reporter Andrew Adams is known by his initials, AAA, but online he has a half-dozen AKAs including Ralph Brown, Brown Ralph, John Wood, John Anthony, David Presley and Mack Henry.

Adams' selfie obsession and fraud

Adams is a nice guy who doesn't want to offend people who send him friends requests via Facebook. But unbeknownst to Adams, he's been "friending" people who are aces at online fraud and use the vast selection of photos he's posted to manipulate women across the globe.

Adams' kind heart and desire to post hundreds upon hundreds of so- called "selfies" to social media have made him a ripe target for fraudsters who want to commit romance fraud.

No international heart-throb, globetrotter or gallery owner

For a con artist it's simple: cut and paste Adams' photos, make up a name to go with it, then create an intriguing "man-of- mystery" image that'll lure women.

In one fake online profile, the con artists posted a photo of Adams and made him out to be the owner of a lavish art gallery; in another, he's a heartthrob with international roots; and in another he's a world traveler who's jetted the globe.

The truth is, Adams isn't exactly an art connoisseur, he doesn't have foreign ties, we can't confirm if he considers himself a heartthrob, and no one in the KSL newsroom would characterize him as a globetrotter, not even Adams himself.

"I've only flown internationally once. Only been to Paris once. People who think I'm this world traveler, I'm not," confessed Adams.

The FBI warning to women

Con artists know the way to a victim's pocketbook is through her heart.

"They play on love and loneliness," said FBI cyber supervisor Jeffrey Coburn.

Coburn, of the FBI Salt Lake City division, said approximately 18 cases of romance fraud a day are reported across the U.S., with an average monetary loss of $12,000 per case.

Coburn said once con artists bait a victim into online love, they'll start asking for money using a variety of sob stories.

"I'm in jail, I'm stuck here, I need money to get out to see you, I need money for a passport," Coburn said.

Coburn said it's easy for con artists to create fake Internet personas to trick people.

"You could be Mickey Mouse and there's no way for Facebook to verify that information," Coburn said.

Coburn said if anyone asks for money over the Internet, it's not love, it's fraud.

Why Andrew Adams?

Adams wanted to know why con artists seem to be drawn to use his photos. To date, several of his online pictures have been used to create fake profiles at least a half-dozen times.

"Bottom line is they could pick an underwear model to do this, they don't have to pick my pictures, and why they're picking me I don't know," Adams said. "I'd like to know because they seem to be having more success in their love lives than I'm having in mine."

The FBI explained Adams seems likable, friendly and unassuming in his pictures, and it could be why the con artists target and repost his images.

The FBI suggested Adams could post fewer photos and be cautious about who he "friends" on Facebook. Both may help decrease the odds a crooked Casanova will use his pictures to scam women.

A search tool to fight romance fraud

In one case, Adams' images were used to lure a woman half a world away into love. The con artist then said he was stuck at the airport and needed her to send thousands of dollars.

Thankfully, she did not send any money and tracked down the real Andrew Adams, using a free online search tool.

Here's how to figure out if the online image you're in love with is part of a scheme: First, save the photo to your computer. Search "Google Images" and look for the search bar with a camera icon. Click on the camera icon and upload the photo. If you find more than one name, or a different name, paired with that image, it's a red flag.

Photos

Related stories

Most recent Utah stories

Related topics

Utah
Debbie Dujanovic

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast