May 3, 2016 2 min read

State police said an elderly Canton Township woman was bilked of her life savings of more than $78,000 by someone she became “friends” with on Facebook.

Trooper Thomas Kress, who is investigating the theft, said the woman was sent a friend request on Facebook by someone she did not know. The woman accepted the request, and the two communicated for a while via Facebook but then switched to a different form of social media.

“The friend started asking for money,” Kress said. “The victim was persuaded to wire money to this person purporting to be having difficulties importing BMWs into the United States.”

Kress said the Canton woman was promised she would get her money back with interest. The money was reportedly needed for “port fees.”

“The victim used her retirement savings account to assist this person,” the trooper added. “She ran out of money, and they were still demanding money. Then they stopped calling. She then figured it was a scam.”

The Canton woman started making the payments in August and continued until late last year. Kress said the victim, who lost $78,463, just recently reported the theft to police because she was embarrassed.

Kress is trying to track down information on the banks where the money was sent. He believes the banks may be located in Texas, Florida or California. The victim also reportedly wired money to India.

“If you get a request like this, it is a scam,” Kress said. “Don’t send money.”

Anyone who may have been contacted in a similar fashion should call their local police department, he said.