The Brief
- A 70-year-old Pasco County man says he lost nearly $50,000 to a romance scam.
- The scammer posed as an interior decorator from Indiana, but detectives later traced the profile to Nigeria.
- The victim hopes sharing his story will prevent others from falling into the same trap.
What we know:
PORT RICHEY, Fla. – David Cruz, 70, of Pasco County, said what started as a search for companionship online turned into financial and emotional devastation.
Earlier this year, Cruz accepted a Facebook friend request from someone identifying herself as “Bonnie Fleck,” an interior decorator from Indianapolis. Their online chats soon evolved into phone calls and even what appeared to be video chats — later discovered to be AI-generated.
Cruz says “Bonnie” claimed she had been offered work in Australia but needed money for paperwork. Believing her, he dipped into his emergency home equity loan, sending her $5,000 — then more — eventually wiring a total of $47,000, including transfers through Bitcoin.…