NEW YORK TIMES – July 30 – Renee Holland befriended a soldier on Facebook and sent him thousands of dollars. She became entwined in a global fraud that Facebook and the US military appear helpless to stop. Many scammers operate from their phones in Nigeria and other African nations, working several victims at the same time. Facebook has become a one-stop shop. It has plenty of photos of American service members. Creating an impostor account can be easy. Facebook groups for single women and widows are full of targets. To her friends and family, Ms. Holland was known as trusting and impulsive. She sent her Facebook friend money for airfare, partly with credit cards, without her husband's knowledge. He never showed up. The Hollands lost $26K to $30K. Mr. Holland was arrested on domestic violence charges in August 2018. On Dec. 23, 2018, he shot and killed Renee and her father at their new home. Mr. Holland then turned the gun on himself. There are no exact figures on how many service members and civilians have been affected. The F.B.I. said it received ~18,500 complaints from victims of romance or similar internet scams last year, with reported losses exceeding $362M, up 71% from 2017. Facebook said it constantly removes impostor accounts.
by Jack Nicas
See full article at New York Times
OPW – July 30 – Hot off the press in July, the luminary Behavioral Economist Dan Ariely has co-authored this wonderful decision making primer, in cartoon form! Amazing Decisions: The Illustrated Guide to Improving Business Deals and Family Meals. Dan likes dating, and I think you'll like his new book.
