Californian Man Victimized by Decade-Long Romance Scam Nightmare

In the past 15 years, a 63-year-old Californian man named Scott Cole has become the unwitting victim of a widespread romance scam. Since around 2010, his photos and likeness have been used to create fraudulent social media accounts, which scammers then use to form romantic relationships with women around the world and extort money from them.

Cole, a fitness trainer from Palm Springs, California, has had hundreds of women contact him over the years, alerting him that his identity is being used in these scams. He has filed reports with the FBI, but says the agency has not responded, likely because the issue is so prevalent, not just with his photos but with those of many other people as well.