Their “love story” all started with an innocuous Facebook friend request. According to a recent study by Social Catfish, Florida-where my grandma happens to live-is one of the top five targeted states for romance scams, with more than 1,600 victims and $40.1 million lost. For victims over 70, like my grandma, that individual average jumps up to nearly $10,000. Per the FTC, “In 2020, reported losses to romance scams reached a record $304 million, up about 50 percent from 2019.” When broken down, that means one person loses nearly $3,000 on average to a romance scam. Since the pandemic began, there has been a perfect storm of isolation and internet dating resulting in an explosion of romance scams. With a foundation of lies, the scammers will pull on the heartstrings of women who are lonely, widowed, or too trusting.īeneath her dazzling exterior, there is a tender underbelly just as exposed as the rest of us. Too often, the victims of romance scams tend to be elderly women in their 70s or 80s.
Whether hunting for victims on social media or dating apps, these scammers have one goal in mind: to finagle money out of unsuspecting people. Much like catfishing, a romance scammer, according to the Federal Trade Commission, is someone who fabricates an online profile with the intention of luring someone in. Beneath her dazzling exterior, there is a tender underbelly just as exposed as the rest of us. Yet despite her vivacity, as a single woman well into her golden years, I suspect that she may feel lonely at times. Her social calendar-marked with dinners, party invitations, and trips-puts my own to shame. She was never one to subscribe to the idea that women “give up” after a certain age. My grandma is more of the high heels, formfitting black leggings, silky shirts, and gold bangles type of grandma. Forget what you think you know about grandmas-there’s no orthopedic shoes, oversize sweaters, and excessive couch time. One week later, I learned I was right.īut before I get into it, I want to tell you a bit about the matriarch of my family. Anyway, I knew, almost intuitively, that something was wrong. Perhaps it was the paparazzi-style pictures Bram had shared, which looked as though they’d been ripped from a tabloid. Or maybe it was the lack of internet presence for a man important enough to pose alongside the president of the United States. Maybe it was the photo she shared of him shaking hands with Joe Biden. A few minutes into our weekly family FaceTime, my grandma excitedly announced to our whole family that she had a new beau.
When my grandma first spoke about her new boyfriend, Bram, something didn’t quite sit right with me.
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