By Kevin Deutsch
A Coconut Creek woman in her 70s recently fell victim to a romance scammer, police said.
The scammer took advantage of the “lonely” victim after introducing himself to her through her Pinterest account, according to Coconut Creek Police. After his introduction, the man spent the next few months “gaining her confidence, telling her he loved her, and of course asking her for money,” according to a Facebook post by the police department.
The scammer claimed he worked on an oil rig and asked for gift cards, which the victim purchased for him, police said. Police characterized the man’s criminal activity as “the romance scam.”
The investigation into the scam is ongoing, and no arrests have been made, according to Coconut Creek Police spokesman Scotty Leamon.
“Remember that anyone asking you to go buy them gift cards always means it’s a scam,” police wrote.
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