FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) — A man and woman from New York will be sentenced this week for their role in a scam that defrauded a Virginia man out of more than $500,000.
The victim from Annandale was one of several in a scheme that took in more than $2 million.
Prosecutors say it is an example of romance fraud, a fast-growing form of crime that reached record levels in 2021.
Fraudsters post fake identities on online dating sites and build rapport with their victims over a period of months.
Victims, often elderly, sometimes lose their life savings. Federal prosecutors in Virginia have made prosecuting romance fraud a priority.
