I want to share something that happened to me recently because I think people need to be aware of just how elaborate these scams can be. I was targeted by people impersonating a police officer and a girl’s father, and I ended up losing $1,500.
HOW IT STARTED
A while back, I matched with a girl on Tinder. We talked a little here and there, eventually exchanged phone numbers, and continued talking on and off for a while. Eventually, communication stopped for a few weeks.
Then, out of nowhere, she texted me again.
During our conversation, she asked how old I was, even though we had originally matched on Tinder, where my age was already visible. I told her my age and then asked how old she was. She said she was turning 18 the following month. By this point, though, I was already getting the feeling that something wasn’t right.
She then asked me a personal question. Since she had told me she wasn’t 18 yet, I told her I wasn’t going to answer that kind of question or have inappropriate conversations with her.
Later, she sent me a video and asked if I liked it. I felt uncomfortable, responded with “ummmm,” and asked when her birthday was. She told me November 21st. I remember responding, “November 21st? I thought you said you were turning 18 next month.” That’s when I noticed that her story wasn’t adding up.
At that point, I started getting suspicious. I remember thinking, “I know this is a scam, but I don’t know exactly what kind of scam it is.” I thought I could handle it.
I had no idea what was coming next.
THE FAKE POLICE OFFICER
Two days later, I received a phone call from someone claiming to be a police officer.
He explained that there was supposedly an investigation involving messages between me and the girl. He then had me explain my side of the situation.
The supposed officer told me that the girl’s mother was furious and wanted me arrested. He claimed that an adult at the girl’s school had discovered the messages and that the girl couldn’t return to school until she’d received therapy related to what had supposedly happened.
He also claimed that the mother wanted me arrested because, and I quote, “you being arrested would pay for the girl’s therapy so she could return to class.”
The supposed officer then told me that the father wanted to talk things out outside of law enforcement. He said I didn’t have to contact the father if I didn’t want to, but that I could if I wanted to try to work things out.
He then explained that once the phone was handed over to law enforcement and they went through her phone, if they found something they shouldn’t see, they would call me, tell me they had issued a warrant for my arrest, and tell me I needed to turn myself in.
Looking back, another thing that doesn’t make sense to me is that if this really involved an investigation with a minor, why was I being told to contact her father in the first place? I would expect law enforcement to handle an investigation and gather any evidence they needed through the proper procedures. Instead, I was being directed to speak with a parent outside of law enforcement. That should have been another red flag.
He then gave me the supposed father’s phone number.
THE FAKE FATHER
Being scared, I called the number, and the person who answered claimed to be the girl’s father.
He made it seem like he was going through her phone as we were speaking and made me believe I had done something wrong. He said he wanted to resolve the situation outside of the law, but that the mother was so angry she wanted me arrested. He also said he didn’t want this going on the news because he didn’t want people at his job and church finding out about it.
At this point, I was scared and believed I was dealing with a real situation. I was trying to cooperate and avoid getting arrested.
The supposed father started telling me that therapy and all the other bills would cost up to $3,500.
He told me that if I paid for her therapy and the other expenses, I had his word that he would make the whole situation go away and wouldn’t turn the phone over to law enforcement.
He made it feel like paying for the therapy and other expenses was completely my choice. He presented it as an opportunity to resolve the situation and keep me from going to jail.
While I was on the phone with him, he kept repeating that if I paid, her mother would see that I meant well and that I hadn’t meant to bother them. At the same time, he kept telling me that if the cops got her phone, I would be all over the news.
Looking back, I realize how he was using my fear against me. He kept the possibility of being arrested and publicly exposed on my mind throughout the conversation. He would bring up what could happen if the police got involved, then make paying for the expenses seem like a way to prevent it.
By repeatedly bringing up those frightening possibilities, he kept me focused on the situation and made it difficult for me to think clearly about what was happening.
HOW THEY GOT THE MONEY FROM ME AND HOW I REALIZED IT WAS A SCAM
He then started explaining how I could send money through Cash App. He walked me through sending payments in increments. I managed to send $200, but after that, the payments wouldn’t go through.
He then told me to withdraw money from my bank account. He told me I had 10 minutes to pull out the money and that he would call me back. He then hung up.
I withdrew approximately $1,300 and went to a Walgreens that had Western Union so I could send the money.
After that, they tried getting me to use my credit card through Western Union, Cash App, and PayPal. My credit card wouldn’t go through on any of those apps. They even had me go to an ATM to try to withdraw money using my credit card.
By this point, the banks were already closed.
The supposed father then told me that the following day I needed to take out a $2,700 loan. After telling me that, he hung up.
That’s when I finally stopped and pulled out the calculator on my phone.
I started doing the math and realized they had been trying to get approximately $4,200 out of me in total: the $200 through Cash App, approximately $1,300 through Western Union, and another $2,700 through the loan they wanted me to take out.
What really stood out to me was that he had originally told me the therapy and other expenses would cost up to $3,500. Now, when I added everything together, they were trying to get approximately $4,200. That was $700 more than what he originally told me.
To be clear, I did not lose $4,200. I lost $1,500 before I realized what was happening and stopped.
I remember thinking to myself:
“I thought Western Union only charged around $24 for a transaction fee to send this money. Why am I being asked to come up with $4,200?”
That’s when I started putting the puzzle pieces together.
Something wasn’t right. The numbers weren’t making sense, and I started questioning the entire situation.
I eventually called someone I trusted and explained what was happening. They told me I had been scammed.
They then contacted the police, and I provided the officer with as much information as I could remember and share. I was still extremely shaken up by everything that had just happened.
I also had a real police officer explain how warrants actually work. He explained that getting and carrying out an arrest warrant involves legal procedures. An officer can’t use the threat of a warrant over the phone to pressure someone into making a private payment. Paying someone privately isn’t how you resolve a warrant.
The officer explained it to me this way: “We don’t just call you and tell you that you have a warrant out for your arrest. We just show up because I want you to be there when I get there.”
That conversation helped me understand just how much of what the scammers told me was made up.
In the end, I lost $1,500:
● $200 through Cash App.
● Approximately $1,300 through Western Union.
Thankfully, I stopped before taking out the additional $2,700 loan they wanted me to get.
WHAT I WANT PEOPLE TO TAKE AWAY FROM THIS
These scammers can be extremely convincing. They use fear, pressure, and the threat of arrest to make you feel like you have no choice but to do what they say.
They make you believe that sending money is the only way to keep yourself out of trouble.
Looking back, there were warning signs, but when you’re scared and someone is claiming to be a police officer, it’s not always easy to think clearly.
Please, if something like this happens to you, take a step back and breathe. Don’t send money. Don’t let someone pressure you into making financial decisions under pressure.
Contact your local police department using an official phone number and speak to someone you trust. You should also report the scam to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at https://www.ic3.gov. Include as much information as possible, such as phone numbers, messages, payment details, receipts, and any other information you have about the people involved.
A supposed police officer giving you an angry parent’s phone number and suggesting you resolve a threatened arrest privately should be a major red flag. That is not how a legitimate investigation should be handled.
I worked hard for the $1,500 I lost, and I know other people work just as hard for their money. If sharing what happened to me prevents even one person from losing theirs, then telling my story is worth it. I don’t want someone else to go through what I went through. These scams are real, and they can happen to anyone.
