Suspected scam tugged at heartfelt feelings

An Oconee deputy spoke with a victim of what appears to have been a recent sweetheart scam.  In these times, the use of social media can be an avenue to true romance, but can lead to a scam.  The deputy learned that the victim, a female, met someone on a dating app and started to form a relationship.  She sent money to the person she met, expecting to be paid back.  But now, according to the sheriff’s office, the victim’s Facebook account has been hacked and her name and pictures have been changed.  The scammer’s own information was added to the account.  The deputy’s advice to the victim was to stop all contact with the scammer.  Master Deputy Jimmy Watt said, “People are built for relationships and there are people who are lonely, which makes them vulnerable to sweetheart scams.  Our recommendation is not to send money to anyone who you meet on the internet or through social media.”