Tallmadge officer helps investigators crack international online dating scam
It started with a local report of an online dating scam. What followed involved multiple states, reams of records and the arrests of six people in Rhode Island who were a part of money-laundering scheme.
Tallmadge Police Sgt. Patrick Fairhurst, who was awarded a letter of commendation for exceptional performance in February for his work on the case, said he became involved in 2019 after a woman told the department she was scammed out of $60,000.
"She was contacted through Facebook," Fairhurst said. "Some dude who supposedly lived in Florida put together this profile, used these fake pictures. She was getting these texts, 'you are so beautiful,' 'I think you are my soulmate.'"
That went on for several months, Fairhurst said, until one day the man suggested purchasing land together in Florida so they could move in together. This, of course, never happened.
"They got ahold of her account numbers," Fairhurst said. "They got her checking account. Money would appear, then started disappearing."
Fairhurst said the woman's daughter got wind of what was going on, and the two of them came to the police station to file a report.
Fairhurst said after some digging, he located some of the accounts through which the money was being transferred. He discovered several compromised accounts belonging to victims from across the country, including in Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Florida and Texas.
"The culprits were filtering the money through other people," Fairhurst said. He added that a couple in Florida lost $375,000.
When Fairhurst went to contact the other victims, he said most had begun to suspect that they were being scammed, and even questioned if he was a scammer. He had to assure them repeatedly that he was not, and he encouraged them to contact their local police departments to file a report.
Much of the money, Fairhurst said, was being processed by a Pennsylvania woman who thought she had taken a legitimate job. She was sending money orders to a post office box in Rhode Island. Fairhurst said he obtained a subpoena for the box and traced it to a trucking company. That led to several other people, all of whom lived within a 30-minute drive from each other in Rhode Island.
"At this point, I started to think this sounds like a case for the feds," Fairhurst said.
Scams are widespread, but vigilance can prevent victimization
"This is a great example of someone taking those extra steps to solve a bigger case," said Tallmadge Police Chief Douglas T. Bohon, commending Fairhurst's work.
Unfortunately, Fairhurst said the department gets such calls about online scams on a regular basis.
"It's hard to put a number on it, because tactics change and the cases ebb and flow," he said. "I'd say we get a couple a month just in Tallmadge."
According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, figures from 2022 show there were 19,000 U.S. complaints about confidence and romance scams, with reported losses of at least $739 million. Most commonly, the perpetrators are men targeting women older than 40 who are divorced, widowed, elderly or disabled.
Fairhurst encourages those who think they are being scammed to call their local police department to file a report, citing the oft-repeated wisdom that "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."
FBI Cleveland provides the following tips to avoid scams:
Be careful with sharing too much personal information online across all social media sites.
If you’re on dating sites, only use platforms with a well-known reputation, and research photos and profiles online to see if anyone has used that name or image elsewhere.
Beware of online suitors who try to isolate someone from family or friends, or those who ask for inappropriate photos or financial information.
Never send money to someone you’ve never met in person.
Call 1-800-CALL-FBI to file a report on a potential scam or visit ic3.gov to submit a tip. Find more resources about romance scams at FBI.gov/romancescams.
Tallmadge officer learns another investigator is pulling on same thread
After he contacted the Cleveland FBI in 2020, Fairhurst said he found out that there was a detective in Idaho looking at the same case.
"She was working at it from one direction, and I was working it from another direction," he said.
Fairhurst said the culprits were taking the money and either sending it to Nigeria or using the laundered funds to purchase vehicles, which were then sent to Nigeria. In the end, six men were caught and convicted in the case. A seventh, whom Fairhurst said was the leader, escaped overseas.
Unfortunately, those who lost money probably won't be able to get it back, Fairhurst said.
"Once they get a hold of that money, it's gone," Fairhurst said. "It goes into Bitcoin, gift cards or even gold bars."
Reporter April Helms can be reached at ahelms@thebeaconjournal.com
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Tallmadge police officer commended for cracking online dating scam
