A $31,000 heartbreak can carry valuable lessons

It all started with friend request on Facebook

Although the Valentine’s Day candy is rapidly exiting store shelves everywhere, romance – and the scams that go with it – goes on year round.

Last year, people reported losing $143 million to romance-related scams – a higher dollar amount than any other type of scam reported to the Federal Trade Commission. The average median loss? A whopping $2,600. Those ages 70 and older reported a median loss of $10,000. Some individuals reported losing $100,000 or more.

Victims aren’t just losing their life savings. Some are taking on new debt in the name of love – taking out home equity loans, opening up new credit cards and even getting payday loans to solve somebody else’s crisis, medical emergency or business trouble.

“It’s amazing how deeply they get into your head and your heart with Facebook messages,” said Eric Larson, 54, who lives in northern Montana and was caught in a romance scam for much of last year.

It started when a woman sent him a friend request on Facebook in January 2018. He didn’t know her, but she was nice. She showed pictures of herself dressed up when she was going to church.

“It’s amazing how deeply they get into your head and your heart with Facebook messages.”

Eric Larson, romance scam victim

Larson, who had divorced after a 20-year marriage, was home after sustaining an injury at work and dealing with other medical issues.

“We exchanged selfies of each other,” he said. “She was interested in me and my life and made me feel likable and lovable and interesting.”

How he lost the first $1,000

After 21⁄2 months, she broke her cellphone, needed a new one and, because she was a student, asked him to buy it for her.

That was how he lost the first $1,000. He sent that money via Western Union to another person who supposedly was able to get her the money.

More stories – a father who was murdered, her legal battle for a $28 million inheritance, a need to keep things off the radar because her father’s old business had ties to organized crime – drove up his total losses to around $31,000.

Around half of that money came from savings and the money he was earning when he went back to work. He had to borrow the rest on credit cards, payday loans and the like.

“I didn’t tell anybody what was going on,” Larson said.

He’s willing to talk now because he wants to help someone else avoid getting trapped.

“I know I’m not the only divorced, middle-aged man that’s lonely and wants someone to talk to,” Larson said.

Over roughly eight months, he put money on Steam gift cards supposedly