At 77, David Lumpp says a search for late-in-life companionship on an adult-dating site ended with his savings drained instead. He told investigators he bought $1,300 in gift cards, sent another $500 to access a so‑called VIP club, and later paid $2,200 to a different woman he met online, leaving several accounts tapped out. “I’m old, and I’m vulnerable,” Lumpp said, describing how the scheme left him “sad, depressed, screwed up.”
The News 5 Investigators retraced Lumpp’s online encounters and say his experience tracks closely with a well-worn dating-site scam routine. Devan Weckerly Lambert, director of marketing at the Akron Better Business Bureau, told investigators that repeated asks for gift cards, pressure to buy credits or pay for a so‑called VIP experience are major warning signs, and that automated, canned responses can help scammers hide in plain sight. She urged people to verify domain names and IP characters before paying and to refuse any request for untraceable payments. As reported by News 5 Cleveland.
Romance and confidence scams have become one of the costliest types of online fraud, with tens of thousands of reports and large reported losses in recent years. The Federal Trade Commission notes scammers often move conversations off platforms and ask victims to pay with gift cards, cryptocurrency or wire transfers, payment methods that are difficult to trace or reverse. The agency’s guidance is blunt and simple: never send money, gift-card numbers or crypto to someone you’ve only met online. According to the FTC.
How the ‘VIP club’ playbook works
Scammers typically start by building rapport online, presenting themselves as attentive, available and very eager to meet. Then comes the hook: a fake upgrade or membership that supposedly boosts the odds of an in‑person connection. That “upgrade” often requires multiple payments, frequently gift cards, credits or crypto, and is wrapped in manufactured urgency or fake deadlines to push victims into paying quickly. The Better Business Bureau has cataloged similar schemes and recommends reverse-image searches, independent site verification and reporting suspicious profiles. Better Business Bureau.
What to do if you or a loved one is targeted
Why isolation matters
Loneliness and social isolation make people more susceptible to fraudsters who promise connection and understanding. The American Psychological Association’s “Stress in America 2025” report found roughly half of adults report feeling isolated, left out or lacking companionship. That emotional gap can erode skepticism and speed up the trust that scammers exploit, turning a normal desire for company into serious financial risk. Community check-ins, regular conversations about safe online habits and a few basic verification steps can blunt that vulnerability. According to the American Psychological Association…