Even sold the house

Romance scam victim mistaken for money launderer

An unbelievable case of a love scam has now come to light in Tyrol.(Bild: tete_escape - stock.adobe.com)

Time and again, a 57-year-old woman from the Kufstein district in Tyrol transferred money abroad—a lot of money! Since the amounts ran into the hundreds of thousands, the woman came under the scrutiny of the police’s special unit for social security fraud on suspicion of money laundering. But extensive investigations brought other details to light. The woman was not a perpetrator, but a victim—of brazen romance scammers...

As is well known, love often blinds—and unscrupulous internet scammers repeatedly exploit this. Time and again, they manage to fleece their victims out of their money with tall tales. The current case in Tyrol, which spanned years and has now come to light, is particularly egregious.

Investigation into suspected money laundering
What happened? Two years ago, the 57-year-old woman from the Kufstein district was already under investigation for suspected money laundering due to suspicious money transfers totaling several hundred thousand euros to various third-party accounts. At the end of 2025, the woman came under police scrutiny again after additional transfers totaling over 170,000 euros were made to accounts both domestically and abroad.

After months of investigation, it ultimately turned out that this woman was not a suspect, but rather the victim of a scam.

Ermittler von der Polizei

However, the initial suspicion was not confirmed. “After months of investigation by the Social Benefits Fraud Task Force, it finally emerged that this woman was not a suspect but a victim of a romance scam,” the Tyrolean police reported on Friday.

The 57-year-old had been completely fleeced by romance scammers over the course of years! “Between 2021 and 2026, she regularly transferred money to people she had met online through a dating platform on Facebook,” investigators explained.

U.S. Soldier and Famous Actor
One supposed lover posed as a U.S. soldier stationed in Afghanistan. Another claimed to be an actor in a well-known U.S. crime series. “Both built an emotional relationship with the woman over the years. Despite years of declarations of love, however, they never met in person,” the investigators continued.

Time and again, the victim was fed tall tales. “Requests for money were repeatedly justified with alleged customs issues, alleged imprisonment, and family emergencies. Based on current information, over 350,000 euros have already been transferred since 2021.”

Relative Helped by Selling House
The victim, who according to police has been receiving emergency aid for years, first used up her own money and then took out loans. When she finally ran out of money, a relative ultimately helped her out by having to sell her house and property to cover the costs!