Mother & Daughter Accused Of Pretending To Be Soldiers To Woo $1 Million From Online Daters

Online dating is already fraught with enough questions and anxiety over whether or not the person you’re going to meet is as charming or attractive (or has as much hair) as the person you’ve come to know through the Internet. You shouldn’t also have to worry that that soldier stationed in Afghanistan you’ve been flirting with is actually a middle-aged woman in Colorado who just wants to scam you out of your money.

Police in Adams County, CO, have arrested a mother-daughter pair, alleging the twosome posed as deployed military personnel to defraud online daters out of at least $1 million.

According to authorities, over a three-year period, the women would go online to start fraudulent romances and then ask their cyber buddies to wire money for travel expenses and other costs.

That money would then be funneled to the head scammers in Nigeria and the mom and daughter would take a percentage.

CBS Denver reports that the pair opened at least 20 different bank accounts at 11 different banks in order to hide their ill-gotten gains.

The victims weren’t just American women. Police believe that 374 women in around 40 countries were taken in by the scam.

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.