Beware of this growing dating app scam in SC, Attorney General Alan Wilson cautions

Beware. Scammers pretending to be law enforcement officials are ramping up efforts to pilfer money from unsuspecting victims, the state attorney general’s office says.

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson issued a warning to South Carolinians on Tuesday in response to increased attempts by scammers to steal money by pretending to be a member of his office’s Internet Crimes Against Children task force or local police. In one attempt, a scammer even used a real investigator’s information to appear more legitimate, according to a news release.

It all starts on a dating app, where men in the course of meeting a “woman” are coerced to fork over money after being told they’ve been chatting with a minor, the news release said. In fact, no minor is involved, but scammers pretending to be a “parent” or “investigator” ask victims for a sum of money in lieu of criminal prosecution.

Last week, the Attorney’s General’s Office received multiple calls and emails from people reporting or inquiring about the scam, the news release said.

Wilson reminded South Carolinians that law enforcement officials never asks for money in exchange for prosecution. If a person receives such a call, they are directed to contact their local law enforcement agency to report the fraud/harassment.