New Romance Scam Costs Tennessee Woman Over $83,000

Officials are offering a warning after a woman in East Tennessee recently lost more than $83,000 in a romance scam.

Vivian, a recent widow, said she began corresponding with a man going by the name Mark Crocker last year. After about a month, he told her he made $25 million while gold buying in Australia but was in need of money, claiming the law was after him, per WATE.

Wanting to help, she began mailing him cash between the pages of a book, starting with multiple $10,000 payments before getting a $20,000 loan from the bank. She told the news outlet that she maxed out two credit cards and even took cash out of his life insurance policy, but he still wanted more money.

"He's wanting me to do a collateral against my home of $50,000," she said.

Vivian told WATE that she's not sure if she was scammed, but she contacted the local sheriff's office and investigators specializing in elder abuse.

"You know I felt like I had gotten so far invested, that I couldn't stop because I wanted to hope that I'd get my money back," she said. She added that she thought he was going to give the money back to her.

Romance scams are among the most costly reported to the Federal Trade Commission, with $304 million in losses recorded in the most recent reporting period. According to the FTC, scammers create fake profiles and target people on social media, building up trust in order to scam them out of money.

"It's one of the most desperate crimes we see because a lot of times, folks that have a little bit of money are often lonely," said Aaron Bradley, Area Agency on Aging director. He added, "Local law enforcement is starting to look at this more closely because they realize how big of a problem it is and also realize how much money is involved."

If you believe you have been a victim of a romance scam, or any other form of online fraud, you can file a complaint with the FBI's internet crime complaint center at the website here or by calling your local FBI field office.