CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Clarksville police want to warn the public about online dating scams after a woman recently lost over $8,000.
According to a post on the department’s Facebook page, the woman met an Australian man through an online dating website about three months ago.
The man told her that he wanted to send money to help her pay bills and to help him get U.S. citizenship. He then sent her a check for $8,650 and she deposited it in her account.
A few days later, $4,700 was available and the man told her to transfer $4,400 to a separate account and keep the difference. About a week later, the remainder of the check was available and she was, once again, told to transfer money. This time it was for $2,100 to a different account. She was again told to keep the difference, $1,850, to pay bills.
Not long after the woman received a notice from the bank saying the check was no good and her account was now negative $8,650.
Police urge the public not to accept or send money through online transactions or checks that they can’t trust. If you suspect illicit activity, report it to the police.