Affairs of the heart came to a head when an Oak Bay resident was forced to face the fact their romance was a scam. It cost them $150,000.
While Oak Bay police were called Oct. 5 at around 1 p.m., the problem dated back to December 2022.
The resident believed they were in an ongoing relationship after meeting someone who said they were a woman living in the southern U.S., Oak Bay Police Department said in a news release.
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The person sought – and received – money for airline tickets, medical bills and other expenses.
The individual said they had a large financial payment coming soon, but needed funds to secure it, then could come live in Canada.
The fraud escalated and then was revealed when the person asked for the Oak Bay resident’s banking information – which was refused. They stopped communicating.
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It’s the second romance scam reported by Oak Bay police this year. The first was reported to police in August and cost a woman $20,000 over eight months. The woman was in the process of sending more money when her financial planner intervened.
Police recommend residents visit Canada Anti-Fraud centre online at antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/index-eng.htm for tips to avoid scams.