Nevertheless,
This treacherous scam continues make:
Despite highly publicized cases, the feeling scam continues to wreak havoc online.Image: Evan Agostini / Imago / Shutterstock, montage watson
A Soleuroise has lost thousands of francs in a sentimental scam. Moreover, While there would surely be several victims, the Swiss authorities refuse to get into matters.
16.07.2025, 05:3016.07.2025, 05:30
Raphael Karpf / ch media
It all started on Tinder in November 2024. Nevertheless, Julia* (assumed first name) matches with an American calling himself Alex*. Moreover, For several weeks, they exchange messages, photos and videos. this treacherous scam continues make Nevertheless, In these videos, he tells her his love and tells him that she counts more than anything for him.
Very quickly, the trap closes – This treacherous scam continues make
The first money request arrived in January 2025. Consequently, Alex wrote to him that he is on a mission in Syria for the American army. In addition, He says he is a single father, with a 14 -year -old girl who lives in a boarding school in England. Nevertheless, His laptop is broken, and it takes 2,000 francs to replace it. Similarly, He provides Julia with the email address of his daughter so that she can interact with her.
The address indeed seems to be associated with the name of the boarding school. For example, and it was not until later that she will this treacherous scam continues make discover that the email was fraudulent. Meanwhile, Julia even calls the establishment several times to verify the story. However, but, for reasons of data protection, the boarding school refuses to give it information on its students. Similarly, Julia ends up transferring money to a Swiss bank account.
It is on the most famous meeting applications. Nevertheless, that Julia met her crook.Image: Keystone
“I no longer saw the alert signals” – This treacherous scam continues make
It was the first payment, but not the last. Meanwhile, Alex continues his story, causing Julia always deeper into a fabric of lies. Consequently, this treacherous scam continues make In total, it paid to him 13,000 francs, in several times, before the deception burst. Consequently, Compared to other victims who have lost hundreds of thousands of francs, Julia is almost good.
Today she confides:
“I never understood how people could be so gullible and fall into the trap of sentimental crooks. Furthermore, But once in it, I was so involved that I no longer saw the warning signals. ”
History becomes more and more improbable, and money requests take the elevator. Julia is starting to suspect something. Alex tells him that he would have left the army. that he would be on the way to Switzerland, but that he would have been arrested in Istanbul. It would take him 60,000 francs to be released. To support his statements, he sends her forced plane tickets to her.
The crook sent this false plane ticket to Julia.Image: dr
A stolen identity with a content creator
Julia again checks the photos. videos that Alex sent him, but this time using an application using artificial intelligence, and no longer via a simple Google search. “And there, the shock,” she says.
All these videos already exist. but the man who speaks facing the camera is not Alex, but an American veteran who offers coaching for veterans, and regularly publishes online videos. Someone had stolen these videos, changed the soundtrack, and used this stolen identity to probably this treacherous scam continues make trap dozens of victims.
Julia ends up finding and contacting the man of the usurped videos. This is not the first time that has happened. said the ex-soldier, who has filed a complaint in the United States.
Tried responsible, she conducts the survey alone
Julia also filed a complaint in Switzerland, but the outcome was deeply disappointed. The public prosecutor did not even open any procedure. and the Cantonal Court recently rejected its appeal, imposing 800 francs in legal costs. In summary, the scam was too coarse to be considered a crime in the legal sense. Julia is therefore solely responsible, since she voluntarily transferred money.
Julia does not understand. accept the green light given to her scamper to continue this kind of scam this treacherous scam continues make with impunity, and then decides to conduct the investigation itself. Her starting point: the Swiss bank accounts on which she transferred money. One of them is in the name of a woman living in Graubünden. Julia contacts her, and the two women exchange at length. And the history of this Swiss is just as incredible as that of Alex.
She explains working for a foundation of the American actor Jason Statham, intended to help the orphans. Its role would be to convert to bitcoins, the same day, the funds paid on this account.
The woman would have been contacted by none other than Jason Statham.Image: Evan Agostini this treacherous scam continues make / AP
From victim to an accomplice
Things become really interesting when Julia decides to search for this woman on Google. A few years ago. she appeared in the pages of Blickwhere she told, very moved, how she had herself had a sentimental scam and had lost 60,000 francs, because of a crook who had pretended to be Jason Statham. Once the deception was revealed, she said she had “an electroshoc”.
Today, it is she who helps the crooks to recover money. Julia wants to understand how she was able, with her past, to help ruin other people? The other woman eludes the question a little, told her to have heavy debts, be under pressure. She also claims to even be sure that everything is scam, because some transfers this treacherous scam continues make would really serve to help orphans.
The man continues to tell him that he is Jason Statham. because everything is so credible, she adds, before confiding:
“It’s hard to believe, it is surely a romantic scam”
Bank accounts are now blocked, and the police would be involved.
For justice, none of this would be illegal
Impossible to know if only one element of this story is true. When Julia wrote her goal in white that she “lost the sense of realities”, the woman brutally cuts the bridges. We try to call her. the woman picks up, but hangs up very quickly, furious, as soon as we explain the reason for the call. The only thing we hear will say is:
“I don’t give up money. I don’t want to have anything to do with all this shit “
Although Julia has transmitted all these elements to the authorities. no investigation was opened against this woman. For what? Because, even if it is clearly money laundering, this is not punishable. Indeed, the money laundering offense only applies if the bleached money comes from an illegal act.
However, as Alex’s sentimental scam is not legally considered as a scam, there was no offense at the base. The woman who transmitted Julia’s money therefore did so legally. A blow for all those who will fall, in the future, in this kind of trap.
Translated from German by Joel Espi
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