BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WWJ) -- Bloomfield Township Police are investigating after a local man claims he was scammed out of more than $50,000 on a dating app over the last several months.
The man says he registered for the dating app Zoosk back in November and made contact with several different women. Though the man never met any of the women face-to-face, he video-chatted with three women he'd met through the app, according to Bloomfield Township Police Lt. Paul Schwab.
Schwab tells WWJ the women asked the victim for money to help them through hardships.
"Some of them claimed that they were having difficulty claiming an inheritance, another female claimed to be trying to get out of an abusive relationship and she needed help. Everything from car repairs, to hospital stays, to traveling expenses and allowances," Schwab said.
The man finally suspect he was being scammed when one of the women asked him to pay her in seven separate Apple gift cards of $1,000 apiece.
In total, the man says he was swindled out of more than $56,000, police said.
Police are reminding the public that scams and fraud are popular on dating websites, especially those that cater to the senior population.
"If you have a family member using a dating website, please discuss these types of frauds with them to avoid being a victim," police said in a written statement.