Local

Washington Co. man loses $400 through online dating scheme

NORTH STRABANE, Pa. -- A Washington County man fell victim to an online dating scam and lost almost $400.

According to police, the victim thought he was talking with a woman in Nashville, Tenn., on the online dating website Lust.com.

The 42-year-old man told police they arranged to meet in Pittsburgh, but she needed him to send her money through Western Union to pay for the flight. Police said the man sent the woman money, but she never showed up.

“It’s never a good idea to send any funds via Western Union to anybody you don’t know personally,” North Strabane Police Officer Jonathan Miles said. “This type of thing doesn’t surprise me. Like Craigslist, people can be anonymous online and use it to their advantage to lure people into this false sense of security.”

According to the criminal complaint, the man wired money several times through Western Union, ultimately sending almost $400.

North Strabane Police said they’ve handled one online dating scheme that was worse. A local woman sent over $5,000 to a man online.