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The CEO of Match.com has said that 'things hap successful life' aft an Illinois widower was recovered dormant pursuing a romance scam.
Laura Kowal, 57, had been successful a narration pinch a man she met connected nan tract called 'Frank Borg' for much than a twelvemonth erstwhile she was discovered dormant successful nan Mississippi RIver successful August 2020.
Daughter Kelly Gowe, received a telephone from a national supplier notifying her that her mother had been a unfortunate of a scam and erstwhile she tried to interaction her mother she discovered that she was missing.
Speaking to CBS News, Gowe revealed she recovered records showing that Kowal had wired Borg - who was not existent - $1.5 cardinal and near her a haunting note.
Following a yearlong investigation by CBS News into online romance scams for illustration nan 1 Kowal was caught up in, nan outlet managed to drawback up pinch CEO Bernard Kim.
When asked astir those who had mislaid their life savings to scammers, he told nan outlet: 'Things hap successful life. That's really difficult.'
When asked astir those who had mislaid their life savings to scammers, he told nan outlet: 'Things hap successful life
Laura Kowal (pictured), 57, mysteriously drowned successful nan Mississippi River aft being scammed retired of $1.5 cardinal by a man she met online
Kim continued: 'I person a tremendous magnitude of empathy for things that happen, but our occupation is to support group safe connected our platforms; that is apical foremost, astir important point to us.'
The investigation by nan outlet uncovered really overseas-based criminals had managed to bargain much than $1 cardinal past twelvemonth from victims.
Senior rule enforcement officials told PapaRead that nan scams are not new, but are being accelerated by nan easy entree con artists person to vulnerable, lonely Americans, who usage making love apps.
In nan statement to her daughter, Kowal wrote: I've been surviving a double life this past year. It has near maine collapsed and broken.
'Yes, it involves Frank, nan man I met done online dating. I tried to extremity this, galore times, but I knew I would extremity up dead.'
On August 7, 2020, Kowal's assemblage was discovered adjacent Canton, Missouri - astir 4 hours from her location successful Galena, Illinois - and her car was recovered astir 50 miles from her body, reported WTVO.
No general ruling has been fixed for Kowal's mode of death, but her autopsy wished she died by drowning.
'It's nan scammers, It's nan criminals down those emails. It's Frank Borg… this character. He killed my mom,' Gowe said.
Gowe recovered records that showed Kowal had wired Borg $1.5 cardinal and a haunting statement from her mother that claimed she knew she would extremity up dead
Kowal had been successful a narration pinch a man she meet connected Match.com called 'Frank Borg' who utilized nan photos above
No general ruling has been fixed for Kowal's mode of death, but her autopsy wished she died by drowning
'And everyone that is progressive successful this scam successful immoderate capacity, that's moving nan money, that's placing a telephone call, that's hitting "enter" and "send" connected an email — they're each responsible for my mom's death.'
Emails shared to PapaRead News showed wrong weeks of virtually gathering successful 2018, Kowal and Borg were sharing emails telling each different they were successful emotion contempt having ne'er met successful personification and he convinced her to nonstop him money.
'She had each these buckets afloat successful her life, my mom did, but location was this 1 bucket that was missing and that was companionship. And that's yet wherever we're astatine now, is because of that,' Gowe said.
According to her obituary, Kowal loved tending to her flower and rootlike gardens, participating successful section play leagues and volunteering done therapy canine activity pinch her beloved aureate doodle Effie astatine a nursing home.
Federal agents discovered that Borg's photos belonged to a Chilean expert and his emails were traced backmost to Ghana.
Nearly 70,000 people reported a romance scam successful 2022, according to nan Federal Trade Commission, a authorities watchdog.
Reported losses deed a staggering $1.3 cardinal and connected average, victims mislaid $4,400.
'Digital devices are making it easier than ever to target hard-working Americans, and we spot nan effects of that successful nan data,' said Samuel Levine, Director of nan FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection.
Romance scammers are routinely setting up clone societal media profiles to target victims online.
A erstwhile scammer from Ghana, seen here, told PapaRead that without nan making love sites you cannot scam anyone
They prosecute successful a lengthy run - which often involves hours of messaging each time - to build up a narration pinch nan unfortunate earlier turning nan speech to money.
In immoderate instances, nan crooks will coming an finance opportunity, aliases inquire for costs for a clone aesculapian process aliases charitable endeavor.
So-called 'pig butchering' scams autumn nether this category, wherever victims are efficaciously 'fattened up' pinch a clone narration earlier being 'butchered' by fraudulent finance advice.
One erstwhile scammer from Ghana told CBS: 'You cannot do thing without those online making love sites.'
Match Group, which operates a number of celebrated making love sites, opportunity they person expanded their information posture and invests complete $125 cardinal a twelvemonth to protect customers.
The institution besides opportunity they win successful removing 96 percent of clone accounts wrong 1 day.
The institution disputes an allegation by nan Federal Trade Commission which said successful a suit that arsenic galore arsenic 30 percent of profiles were opened to perpetrate fraud.
Match Group said they did not judge nan declare had merit and that it was not legally responsible for nan interactions betwixt scammers and their victims.
A judge dismissed nan information of nan lawsuit that tried to clasp nan group accountable for fraud activity connected their sites.
