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A California woman is out tens of thousands of dollars after sending the money to a scammer she thought was actor Keanu Reeves.
Katherine Goodson, 67, said she sent thousands of dollars to the scammers through bitcoin, gift card transactions, and wire transfers over two years, according to KNSD, a local NBC affiliate. She said she is now living out of her car and had "29 miles of gas left."
"That's the lowest I've ever been," she told the outlet.
Imposter romance scams are among the most common scams on the internet. While romance scams can target people of any age group, older Americans usually suffer the largest monetary losses.
According to the FBI's Internet Crime Report, Americans lost more than $650 million to romance scams in 2023 alone. Americans over 60 reported the most losses to scammers of any age group, totaling $3.4 billion.
Melanie McGovern, the public relations director at the Better Business Bureau, told Business Insider that imposter scams are on the company's "12 scams of the holidays" list because there "are just so many." Scammers will impersonate almost anyone, from an online romantic interest to a health insurance company.
"They'll take any company name and scoop it," McGovern said.
Kate Kleinert, a 69-year-old widow, previously told BI that she lost $39,000 — most of her life savings — to an online romance scam.
"Losing the money — that was devastating. But losing that love and the thought of that family that we had? That's what crushed me," Kleinart told BI.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, some signs that you could be the target of a romance scam are if the person you are messaging refuses to meet in person, asks for money, or asks you to pay them in an unconventional way, such as a gift card or wire transfer.
If you suspect you may be the victim of a scam, stop talking to the person immediately and consult with someone you trust, the FTC says.
"Here's the bottom line: Never send money or gifts to a sweetheart you haven't met in person," the FTC says.
Goodson told KNSD she is sharing her story to help other Americans from becoming victims of similar scams.
"I don't blame anyone but myself," she told the outlet.
