What looked like a new romantic relationship to one 77-year-old widower on a dating site quickly raised fraud concerns.
A Redditor said their father-in-law shared his Social Security number, driver's license, and mortgage details with a woman claiming to be a sculptor.
Here's what to know
According to the Reddit thread, the woman said a studio owed her $700,000 for work tied to a gallery or art project in Los Angeles. She told the original poster's father-in-law that he could share in the money if he set up an account on a site called Netzorn. She presented herself as being in her 40s and from a nearby town.
After the account was opened on October 12, new credit activity appeared on October 13. Their father-in-law's report showed inquiries including Capital One/Discover and Unlock.com, which the Reddit poster said is a home equity agreement company.
The post said the account showed what looked like a $700,000 balance in a "clearly photoshopped" screenshot. Based on that image and the credit activity, the relative wrote, "Seems like they're trying to get his home equity?"
The family member added that the father-in-law "genuinely believes she's real and isn't receptive to warnings."
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To one commenter, the story fit a pattern.
"These scammers target widowed people because they know they are lonely and vulnerable, and they use the same story about being widowed and sharing same faith," they wrote.
The family also checked the profile photo. The Reddit poster said a reverse-image search led to the Facebook page of an author in Utah.
More background
Suspicion also fell on the website itself. A commenter wrote that Netzorn.com "was registered in February yet claims to have 400,000 business customers."
People in the thread said the risk might not stop at a fake romance story. One commenter warned scammers could "use him as a money mule to move (real) funds scammed from others in and out of this account," while another said the questions about his mortgage and home equity appeared aimed at building "a clear picture" of his assets.
One commenter shared an AARP resource on scam victims in denial, and others cautioned the family to watch for gift card purchases, requests for money from relatives, and even possible changes to estate documents.
What can be done?
Among the most common recommendations was an immediate credit freeze.
"Go to Experian, Equifax and TransUnion's websites and Freeze his credit," one commenter wrote, noting that any attempt to borrow in his name would require the reports to be unfrozen first.
Another commenter laid out a longer checklist: "I'd also advise contacting Unlock directly to check for applications and stop anything pending, then contact his mortgage servicer and secure his bank accounts/email. Also: report the identity theft at IdentityTheft.gov."
Other Redditors urged the family to notify his bank, reach out to local police or a state elder-abuse service, and warn friends or relatives. More than one commenter said a face-to-face talk with an officer can sometimes break through.
There was one last idea.
"Maybe find that Utah author and contact her, ask her to make video saying 'this is my photo and I am not this person' which is stronger evidence than reverse image search," a commenter wrote.
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