SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is a volunteer attorney who provides free legal services for low income seniors in San Mateo County, California.

February 11, 2020

SUGAR DADDY SCAM

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, love is in the air at dating websites of all sorts. But there’s a new twist on romance scams that is preying on profile holders at “sugar daddy” dating websites.

It’s a growing trend where younger women and men (who call themselves sugar babies) look for an older “sugar daddy” or “sugar momma”. They are seeking someone to pay them cash or pay off their credit card accounts. This is, in exchange for companionship (which may or may not involve sexual relations).

If a new romantic interest persona offers to pay off one or more of your debts (such as credit card balances, student loans, rent, etc.), there’s a strong probability it’s a scam.

Here’s how the scam works:

A scammer approaches a user who is looking for a sugar daddy or sugar momma on dating websites or social media platforms. The scammer poses as a prospective sugar daddy and nurtures a relationship, ultimately offering to pay off the credit card balance of their sugar baby victim. If the victim agrees, the sugar daddy scammer will obtain the victim’s credit card account credentials and then deposit phony funds into the victim’s account, appearing to have paid off the debt.

Once this is done, the scammer—still playing the role of sugar daddy—demands that the victim purchase gift cards (such as Apple iTunes cards, Google Play cards, or Steam cards) that can be redeemed remotely as a thank you to their new patron. Any funds deposited on the gift cards is quickly drained by the scammer.

Sugar babies who refuse to buy gift cards have been met with abusive, threatening, or even black-mailing responses from the new friend and often caved to the pressure.

Caution:

Never share sensitive photographs, text messages or personal financial identity information such as bank account or social security numbers with a sugar daddy or other online suitor.

Finally, you can help other consumers avoid this scam by filing a complaint at Fraud.org via our secure online complaint form.

Attribution: fraud.org