Romance scam victim confronts suspect after losing $60,000
Volusia County detectives arrest a 56-year-old on charges of organized scheme to defraud and grand theft.
www.clickorlando.com
ORLANDO, Fla. – Volusia sheriff’s detectives arrested 56-year-old Cory Woodall on charges of organized scheme to defraud and grand theft.
He is accused of spending $30,000 of Carol West’s money, a victim of a romance scam.
“This is the young lady whose $30,000 you took,” Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood told Woodall.
In an unusual twist, the 70-year-old victim got to confront Woodall directly when he was extradited to Florida.
“How many other people did you spend their money?” West asked.
News 6 shared West’s story last month. She is the victim of a romance scam that lasted six weeks.
She thought she was chatting with Paul Lacamera, a real retired U.S. Army general. They connected on Facebook and messaged multiple times a day.
The crooks then sent West multiple pictures of Lacamera.
[VIDEO BELOW: Floridians lose millions to romance schemes]
Over the course of weeks, the crooks who were posing as Lacamera tricked West into sending money through gift cards and Bitcoin.
They got about another $30,000 from her that way.
“I was sick. I was sick to my stomach. How could I fall for this?” West told News 6.
That’s how romance scams work: the victim is duped into believing they are building a relationship, and the crooks keep coming up with reasons they need money.
The crooks eventually told West that Lacamera was stuck overseas and needed $30,000 to return to the U.S so they could be together.
“So, like a fool, I cashed in my only CD I had and mailed the cash to an address in North Carolina, which I didn’t understand why it was going to North Carolina,” West said.
[VIDEO BELOW: How to avoid being victim of a scam]
Detectives tracked the money from Florida to North Carolina and then to Woodall’s address.
When confronted, Woodall admitted spending the money, buying a car among other things.
“What kind of car did you buy?” West asked.
“A 2023 Hyundai Kona,” Woodall answered while sitting in a law enforcement van before being transported to the Volusia County jail.
Woodall claimed he was not the person chatting online with West, but said he received the money to launder it.
Woodall said he planned to “scam the scammer” and keep the cash.
[VIDEO BELOW: Volusia woman victimized in loan scheme]
Woodall said he connected with the scammers through his girlfriend.
“I’m going to tell the judge to demand you give me my money back, and I don’t care if it comes a dollar a week, you’re going to pay me back,” West said.
West is by no means alone.
According to the FTC, last year in Florida, there were almost 3,400 reports of romance scams.
Floridians lost nearly $93 million.
they cannot help it being so dumb for love...
