Officials have stated that a New York couple was sentenced in prison for allegedly trying to scam elderly people out of more than $600,000. This scheme was called a “romance” fraud.
Linda Mbimadong (29), and Richard Broni (31), were sentenced to 37 and 19 months behind bars in connection with their roles in the romance fraud scheme. They were indicted in may 2021 court papers. The Federal Trade Commission had just announced that the romance scammers’ losses were at an all-time high. They lost nearly 80% in 2021, court papers show.
The FTC discovered that romance scams cost victims an estimated $1.3 billion over five years. In 2021, victims lost $547 million.
According to the agency, romance scammers use photos stolen from the internet to draw people in, creating false personas that appear just real enough to sound true but with a reason to never meet in person.
According to the FTC, “Eventually,” “the presumptive suitor” will request money from the unaware consumer. FTC reported a median loss in the range of $2,400.
Mbimadong & Broni were involved in the case. They were among many people who “targeted older victims on social media by impersonating romantic loves interests, diplomats and military personnel and more,” U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Virginia stated in a May 2021 release.
Officials said that they then conned their victims into sending them valuable items, cashier’s checks, and wire money.
Prosecutors said that the group scammed a 78 year-old man out of $580,000 in one case. To meet women, the septuagenarian had created an account on an online dating site called “iFlirt”.
Another victim was a woman aged 74 who lost $80,000 after she took it from her retirement savings.
Mbimadong was required to pay $1,364,350.00 in restitution, while Broni was ordered by court papers to pay $87,000.
