(NewsNation) — A Michigan judge ordered a 70-year-old woman to stop sending money to a scammer she met online with whom she believed she was in a romantic relationship with.
Jackson resident Holly Locke agreed to a court order preventing her from engaging with what turned out to be a suspected international fraud ring, according to a Justice Department news release.
The situation involved a romance scam, during which fraudsters connect with strangers online and often ask for money after developing a false romance or friendship.
“If the victim does not have money to send, sometimes the fraudster will use that person as a money transmitter by routing payments from other victims to that person and instructing that person to transfer the money to the fraudster,” the release stated.
Locke was alleged to have acted as a money transmitter for a stranger she met online and developed a romance with. Soon after, she began receiving packages containing other strangers’ money, which she passed on to the suspected scammer.
Locke did not admit liability as part of the consent decree she agreed to.
The Justice Department urges consumers to be on the lookout for signs that someone is trying to recruit them to receive and transmit fraudulent money.
People should avoid agreeing to receive money or checks mailed to them or sent to their bank account for someone they met over the phone or online.
The department also advises against opening a bank or cryptocurrency account at someone else’s direction.