India, Oct. 30 -- A 69-year-old retiree from Mesa, Arizona, who asked to be identified only as "Susan," received a Facebook message out of the blue in the summer of 2025 from a man named Stephen, who claimed to be a Navy officer stationed in the Middle East. That message, Arizona's Family reports, started a romance scam that cost her her home and life savings. She now tells her story so nobody else falls into the same trap.

The relationship started off as friendly conversations about their backgrounds. Stephen claimed he was from Virginia. After a few weeks, he suggested they switch to private messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Spike. He began using love names like babe, honey, and sweetheart, and sent romantic good-morning messages. Su...