MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The FBI said internet crime was up.
They said more people have fallen victim to people they meet online on dating websites and other networking sites.
The FBI said they’ve received more than three million complaints.
With social media sites like Facebook and Twitter attracting millions, the internet can be a great place to meet people and make friends.
However you could quickly fall victim to scams, and the FBI said it’s rapidly becoming a trend.
Esther Pilgrim from Southaven, was one of them several years ago.
“I met Timothy Blair on the internet and he became my friend on purpose,” she explained.
Pilgrim appeared on Dateline to tell her story.
According to reports, she met Blair or “TimDog” a former rapper on an internet dating website.
The two began dating and he eventually conned her out of $30,000.
“Gradually won my trust and got me to invest in a fictitious business deal,” she said.
As it turned out, Pilgrim wasn’t the only victim.
“Which turns out that was his number one M.O. for how he would victimize his targets,” she explained.
For 2014, the FBI reported more than $86 million was stolen in romance scams.
The bureau said predators trolled internet dating sites and chat rooms with well versed scripts to lure people into falling for them.
“TimDog” Blair was eventually charged but Pilgrim wanted others to learn from her lesson and beware.
“You’ve gotta pay attention,” she told WREG. “Do your research, even on the property they say they own.”
