Avenel Woman Tricked By Man Claiming To Be Deployed

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — An Avenel woman lost over $1,900 by sending money overseas to a man who told her he was stationed with the U.S. Army, Woodbridge police said.

The woman, 46, of Avenel reported the incident at Woodbridge police headquarters this week. She said she met the man online and they had been talking for a few months, on an app called "Hangout." He told her he was deployed somewhere in Africa, and even though they had never met face to face, she sometimes sends him gift cards and money since he is deployed.

The woman told police she recently gave him access to her bank account information because he promised to marry her when he returned to the U.S. It was only when the woman started getting text alerts from her bank about funds being overdrawn that she became suspicious. She said this week her bank told her someone tried to deposit a fraudulent check from her account for $1,900.

The woman reported the incident Tuesday, Oct. 31 to Woodbridge police. She also showed police the man's Facebook profile, which police said appears to be fake. They told her she appears to have been "catfished."

Image via Pixabay