Two people in Waterloo Region have reportedly lost a combined amount of more than $1.6 million to online romance scams.
In both cases, the victims believed they were in a relationship, but had never met their supposed partners.
A male victim reported to police that he had been scammed out of around $660,000 over a three month period.
Another victim, a female, reported losing $1 million over the course of four years.
The Waterloo Regional Police Service said in a news release that Canadians reported losing $17 million in online romance scams in 2017.
“This is without question organized crime, not your traditional organized crime,” said Sgt. Steve Girhiny with the WRPS.
Police said that people should be wary of someone who professes their love without meeting someone in person.
They said that online daters should not send money if someone tells you that they need it early in your communications.
Anyone who believes that they may be victim to a romance scam should call police or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre as soon as possible.
