He promised to live together and extorted over PLN 50,000. zloty

He promised to live together and extorted over PLN 50,000. PLN

The acquaintance began with an innocent message: "Hi, how are you, where are you from?" Over time, contact became more and more regular and personal. The man assured the woman about his feelings, talked about their future together and declared that he wanted to come to Poland. The messages started arriving every day. “How are you feeling?”, “What are you doing?”, “I miss you”, “I want to be with you”.

A seemingly ordinary online acquaintance quickly acquired emotional significance and became extremely important for the 71-year-old. There have been requests for financial assistance. The police say that initially it was about "money for top-ups and maintaining contact." Then the man asked for funds related to travel and arrival to Poland.

Other messengers were also used, which was intended to additionally make the story presented more credible. For the 71-year-old, it was no longer an anonymous person she met on the Internet. This was a man she trusted, talked to, and whom she believed had real feelings for her. So she donated money, believing that she was helping the man with whom she wanted to build a future. As a result, she lost over PLN 50,000, according to the Wrocław police.

Beware of internet soldiers

The case was classified as an example of the so-called romance fraud. This is a pattern in which the perpetrator first builds a relationship and gains the interlocutor's trust, and only then asks for money.

If a person you have met only online declares your feelings and future together and then asks for money, the police advise caution. You should not transfer funds to someone whose identity cannot be confirmed. You should also not share bank details, authorization codes or photos of documents.