They were in search of love online – instead, they were scammed out of $2 million. A New Jersey man was arrested Wednesday for defrauding more than 30 victims after wooing them on internet dating sites.
Rubbin Sarpong, 35, of Millville, New Jersey has been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito in a press release.
Sarpong concocted online dating profiles mostly portraying US military personnel stationed overseas and looking for romance. The profiles were actually made up, using fictitious or stolen identities federal prosecutors in Camden, New Jersey said.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Rks MullaTeam (@rksmullateam) on Apr 10, 2018 at 12:20am PDT
(Instagram photo of Rubbin Sarpong, confirmed by authorities)
“Unfortunately, we live in an era where every contact we have with a stranger online must be viewed through the lens of skepticism,” said FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Gregory Ehrie. “Fraudsters are constantly searching for ways to separate people from their money in order to reap a profit while putting forth little effort.”