Paraná woman loses 30 million pesos in virtual romance scam

A 60-year-old woman in Paraná, Entre Ríos, has reported losing approximately 29.8 million Argentine pesos to a virtual romance scam. The victim began communicating with a man identifying himself as Michael Lawrence Williams via Facebook in February. The perpetrator, using a WhatsApp number with a United Kingdom prefix, convinced the woman of a romantic relationship and claimed he needed funds to secure travel authorizations to visit her in Argentina.

To meet the financial demands of the scammer, the victim took out multiple loans from various banking and non-banking financial institutions. Following the investigation led by prosecutor Daniela Montangie and the Cybercrime Division, authorities traced the funds to a bank account held by a 47-year-old woman in Concordia.

Under an order from Guarantee Judge Gabriela Seró, police conducted a raid at a residence in Concordia, seizing three mobile devices for forensic analysis. A woman was notified as a suspected co-author of the fraudulent scheme as investigators work to uncover the full extent of the criminal network.