It only took a matter of weeks for one 38-year-old Edmonton woman to be smitten with a man she met on Match.com.
The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, had recently left a marriage. She was again looking for love and had thought she had found her match in Mark Bachman, a 43-year-old single father claiming to live in St. Albert.
Bachman weaved an elaborate story, telling his new paramour he was a self-employed environmental chemical pollution consultant working part-time out of an office in New York, but currently pursuing a project in Spain. Bachman said he was temporarily short of funds to hire workers from Belgium for the project and couldn’t ask anyone he knew because it wasn’t “good business practice to reveal such things.”
Bachman asked for a loan of $2,000 Euros, about $2,800 Canadian to get him over this hump and promised to pay it back by the weekend. Although a tad suspicious because the couple had never met in person, the Edmonton woman obliged and wired the money to Belgium.
“From his e-mail, texting, phoning, I obviously trusted him, but at the same time I was really hesitant,” she admitted, adding she only had $200 left in her bank account after the transfer.
“I'm not a stupid person ... but when your emotions get involved, when you're lonely, it makes you vulnerable to promises of love and affection. (This) is why women need to be careful."
The 38-year-old isn’t the first person to fall victim to an online romance scam. According to statistics provided by the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, more than 1,100 victims of romance scams in Canada had lost almost $16.5 million dollars last year alone.
Closer to home, there were 140 Alberta victims that lost almost $2.2 million in 2012. Statistics compiled up until June 10, 2013 indicate Alberta residents have already been scammed out of $1.1 million since the beginning of January.
Women fall prey to these types of scams more often than men, the majority of victims between the ages of 40 and 60.
“In many cases the financial loss could be in the tens of thousands of dollars but that’s nothing compared to the emotional damage they’ve done to someone,” said Daniel Williams, senior call taker supervisor with the anti-fraud centre. He added online romance scams are one of the “nastier scam types” they’ve had to deal with.
Williams explained organized crime groups operating out of West Africa often orchestrate these types of crimes. They are highly skilled people that manage to keep in 24/7 contact with their victims, even masking their voices on the telephone. Williams said the groups are very sophisticated with the psychology they use on their victims, and in some cases they will string the victim along for nine months before requesting a penny.
“The people on the receiving end of this are so certain they’re dealing with the love of their life. They feel such a commitment, not realizing that they’re dealing with a gang of 20 people who take turns on the keyboard.”
Although the St. Albert RCMP weren’t able to confirm if there are charges pending against the man who identifies himself as Michael Bachman, they encourage victims to come forward even if they are embarrassed and feel vulnerable.
“If a crime isn’t reported then nothing can happen,” added Williams. He said victims usually don’t get their money back, but reporting the crime might help prevent someone else falling for the same scam in the future.
For more information visit: www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca
Don't be a victim
• Do not be fooled by scammers who will wait months before they ask you for money. They are running the scheme with many other victims at the same time so they can afford to be patient.<br />• Use the scammer's success to your advantage. Because they have employed the same techniques on so many other victims in the past, search the Internet and you are likely to find some reference, made by a previous victim, to the gang with which you are dealing. <br />• If you have realized that you have been involved in a romance scam, do not fall for another of the scammer's tricks. You may be contacted by someone pretending to be working for the gang and that person has now fallen in love with you. That person now needs your help (money) to escape the gang and come and be with you.
