96 Year Old Romance Scam Victim

By SCARS Editorial Team, portions U.S. Department of Justice

Indiana Woman Admits to Victimizing 96-Year-Old Rhode Island Widower Through an Online Romance Scam

An Indiana woman today (September 6, 2023) admitted to a federal Judge in Rhode Island that she perpetrated an online romance scam that defrauded a 96-year-old Coventry widower of nearly $80,000, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.

Brittany Rakia Shawnai Lasley, 33, of Anderson, IN, admitted that she created a social media account containing fake profile information on the dating site “Plenty of Fish,” (www.PlentyofFish.com) and promptly began a campaign to persuade the victim to provide her with money, credit cards, gift cards, and his personal identifying information. Lasley admitted that she led the victim to believe that providing her with these items would facilitate meetings between the two and foster a romantic relationship. During the scheme, Lasley fraudulently obtained access to the victim’s checking account and credit card and made numerous unauthorized purchases.

An investigation by the United States Postal Inspection Service determined that Lasley had approximately eighty-nine communications with the victim during which she made fraudulent representations concerning her alleged need for funds for, among other things, medical expenses, home repairs, and travel to Rhode Island.

Lasley admitted to the court that she defrauded the 96-year-old widower of approximately $80,000.

Lasley pleaded guilty today to a charge of wire fraud. She is scheduled to be sentenced on November 7, 2023. The defendant’s sentence will be determined by a federal judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Paul F. Daly, Jr., and Peter I Roklan.

The matter was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service.

United States Attorney Cunha thanks the Coventry, RI, Police Department; Anderson, IN, Police Department; Indiana State Police; United States Marshals Service; and U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General for their assistance in the investigation of this matter.

SCARS Resources:

• For New Victims of Relationship Scams newvictim.AgainstScams.org
• Subscribe to SCARS Newsletter newsletter.againstscams.org
• Sign up for SCARS professional support & recovery groups, visit support.AgainstScams.org
• Find competent trauma counselors or therapists, visit counseling.AgainstScams.org
• Become a SCARS Member and get free counseling benefits, visit membership.AgainstScams.org
• Report each and every crime, learn how to at reporting.AgainstScams.org
• Learn more about Scams & Scammers at RomanceScamsNOW.com and ScamsNOW.com
• Global Cyber Alliance ACT Cybersecurity Tool Website: Actionable Cybersecurity Tools (ACT) (globalcyberalliance.org)
• Self-Help Books for Scam Victims are at shop.AgainstScams.org
• Donate to SCARS and help us help others at donate.AgainstScams.org
• Worldwide Crisis Hotlines: International Suicide Hotlines – OpenCounseling : OpenCounseling
• Campaign To End Scam Victim Blaming – 2024 (scamsnow.com)

More:

• What Really Are Vulnerabilities That Lead To Scams? (scamsnow.com)
• Magical Thinking – How Biased & Delusional Thinking Enslaves Scam Victims (scamsnow.com)
• Psychology of Scams – Article Catalog (romancescamsnow.com)
• The Amygdala Hijack! (romancescamsnow.com)
• Projection And Scam Victims (scamsnow.com)
• What Drives People To Be Scammed? (romancescamsnow.com)
• Scam Victim Suicides Are Up – New Data Hints (scamsnow.com)

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