CLEVELAND — As your consumer reporter, I'm tracking the roll-out of a new multi-pronged initiative in Ohio to help identify romance scams, stop financial losses and encourage victims to come forward.
The Ohio Attorney General now has a dedicated hotline for those who believe they or a loved one is caught up in such a scheme.
Information from hotline users will be reviewed by forensic investigators, and victims and their loved ones will have access to resources from the AG's Consumer Protection Section to help with next steps.
News 5 spoke with Ohio AG, Andy Wilson, who said the goal is to help families intervene sooner and prevent what are often staggering losses.
“Hundreds of thousands of dollars, life savings. Their entire life savings, their entire nest egg, everything they earned over their life that they were going to live on in retirement, gone," said Wilson.
Wilson said romance scams often leave victims devastated and emotionally isolated and that keeps many of them from coming forward.
One of the goals of the hotline is to change that.
If you believe you or a loved one is caught up in a romance scam, call 1-855-961-SCAM.
