A romance scam may no longer stop with theft. According to KnowBe4, citing The Wall Street Journal, criminals are persuading U.S. Citizens to receive and move money for international crime rings after building an emotional relationship online.
That turns a victim into an unwitting money mule. The emotional deception supplies the trust; the banking activity supplies the second offense.
What happened
- KnowBe4 reports that romance scammers are targeting U.S. Citizens to act as money mules.
- Garrick Stafford, a Texas man, lost $65,000 and moved about $50,000 through accounts linked to the scam.
- A $150 cellphone bill request initially made him suspicious, but contact later resumed.
- Later demands covered a seminar, an antiques business and medical costs.
- Roughly $100,000 in bad checks sent to Stafford also bounced.
- A South Carolina police detective alerted Stafford that he was being scammed.
One relationship, two forms of fraud
Stafford's case began with online contact from someone presenting herself as an attractive woman. The Wall Street Journal reported that the pair exchanged text messages throughout the summer before the first money request arrived. That request was for $150 to cover a cellphone bill.
Stafford recognized the warning sign and blocked the contact. Months later, he unblocked her, and the messages resumed. The requests then escalated to several thousand dollars for a seminar, seed money for an antiques business and medical costs for the scammer's mother.
Money moving through the account created a separate danger. Whenever Stafford received a payment, the scammer pressed him to transfer it to cryptocurrency wallets. At times, she required him to leave work to complete the transfers. She also explained why she supposedly could not open accounts or make the transfers herself, citing bad credit and a move from London to Miami.
About $50,000 passed through Stafford's account or additional accounts he established. Another $100,000 in checks sent to him bounced. Banks froze some of the accounts after suspecting illegal activity.
Why romance scams work
Romance scams exploit attachment rather than technical trickery. KnowBe4 quotes National Consumers League vice president John Breyault, who says romantic interest is a powerful emotion and scammers invest substantial time developing the trust needed to exploit it.
That patience explains why a single early red flag may not end the fraud. In Stafford's case, the relationship survived a block and later resumed. Each request could be presented as a personal emergency or business need, while the emotional bond made the target reluctant to leave.
The willingness to accept a stranger's instructions over an extended period also makes a target more useful as a money mule. The criminal can use that person to receive legitimate-looking payments, move funds into digital wallets and obscure where the money originated.
The scammer in Stafford's case was later identified by police as a married couple in Nigeria. According to The Wall Street Journal as summarized by KnowBe4, the pair used AI to answer his texts.
A separate law-enforcement response follows
A South Carolina police detective eventually contacted Stafford and explained that he was being scammed. His case illustrates why the activity may move beyond ordinary fraud.
Romance fraud targeting an individual becomes harder to explain when the target's own accounts are used to move money for others. Banks may freeze those accounts. Law enforcement may investigate the target as a participant in money laundering even though the person believed the requests came from a romantic partner.
KnowBe4 also points to a separate Justice Department case involving Zheng Zhao, a 44-year-old Chinese national extradited from the Netherlands and arraigned in the Central District of California. The government alleges he participated in an international cryptocurrency investment conspiracy run from scam centers in Cambodia and targeting U.S. Citizens.
According to court documents cited by the Justice Department, 174 U.S. Victims were identified. The alleged network used unsolicited social media interactions, calls, texts and online dating services to build trust, promoted fraudulent digital asset investments and created fake websites resembling real cryptocurrency trading platforms.
What this means for you
The warning sign is not simply “an online relationship asks for money.” It is the combination of secrecy, urgency, financial instructions and repeated contact after you have tried to disengage.
For readers, the practical rule is to stop before sending money or moving someone else's funds. Do not accept a stranger's request to receive money and pass it onward, even if the payment appears to be legitimate. The transaction may be connected to theft elsewhere.
Banks are also watching. Stafford's accounts were frozen after suspicious activity was detected. Using your own account does not make the activity safer or less reportable.
A worked example
Say an online contact you have never met asks you to withdraw cash, buy cryptocurrency or forward money to a wallet. They frame it as a temporary favor, an investment opportunity or a way to help with a medical bill.
The right move is to pause and report the contact to the relevant bank or law-enforcement agency. Do not test the story by sending funds. If you have already moved money, contact your bank immediately and preserve messages, payment records, wallet addresses and account details.
What to watch next
Watch for romance scams that combine emotional manipulation with instructions to receive and redirect money. The money-mule role is not an incidental request. It gives criminals a path for turning one victim into a financial tool.
For broader cybercrime news, the key lesson is blunt: trust is a red flag when it comes with financial action. Stop before sending. If someone asks you to handle their money, verify through an independent channel and get help before touching the funds.
Key takeaways
- Romance scammers may recruit victims to receive, convert or transfer criminal proceeds.
- Emotional trust can survive an early warning sign, so blocking one contact may not end the risk.
- Using your own bank account does not protect you from freezes or money-laundering investigations.
- Stop before sending money or forwarding funds, and contact your bank promptly if payments were made.
Frequently asked questions
Can someone be scammed into becoming a money mule?
Yes. KnowBe4, citing The Wall Street Journal, describes a Texas man who unknowingly moved about $50,000 after forming an online romantic relationship with a scammer.
What should you do if a stranger asks you to forward money?
Do not send or forward it. Preserve the messages and payment details, contact your bank or law enforcement, and report the attempted fraud through the appropriate channel.
Are cryptocurrency transfers safe if the money came from a legitimate payment?
The source of the funds does not prove the request is legitimate. KnowBe4's reported case involved a romance scammer directing a victim to move incoming payments into cryptocurrency wallets.
How did romance scammers gain enough trust to request money?
They invest time in the relationship and use emotional pressure alongside practical excuses. KnowBe4 says romantic interest makes people more vulnerable to that sustained manipulation.