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Contact 6: Sweetheart swindle
Contact 6: Sweetheart swindle
MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- FOX6's Contact 6 is issuing a warning regarding the "Sweetheart Swindle" -- an online fraud that leaves victims with more than a broken heart.
Douglas Butler's 80-year-old father lost his life savings, more than $2 million, to a woman he met online.
"If she could think of a lie to tell my Dad about why she needed money - she told it," Butler said.
"She told him she needed the money for breast cancer surgery, purchase a vehicle to fix up her home and also pay off debt to leave her job and be with him," U.S> Postal Inspector Amy Kerkof said.
"He was very conservative, frugal and the idea that he was handing out money -- he would hand over $100,000 at a time -- never occurred to anyone," Butler said.
Postal inspectors began tracking bank records and found the suspect, Shea Saenger, was spending the money on a new house, new equipment for her family farm and additional land.
"This case was rather compelling and heartbreaking because the victim suffers Alzheimer`s and was so far gone, didn`t realize he was a victim," Kerkof said.
"To me, when someone steals everything from you - it`s everything. It doesn`t matter what the dollar value was," Butler said.
FOX6's Contact 6 says it's important for individuals to keep up on their parents because unfortunately, the scammer can play with their heart and take their money without ever meeting them face-to-face.