Overview

• Airport staff say travelers have recently arrived expecting to meet online partners who do not exist, with six such encounters in the past month.
• Victims are often older or widowed and have almost always sent money to the scammer, according to the airport’s CEO.
• The airport issued a social-media warning urging families to check on loved ones, especially seniors, for signs of online exploitation.
• Frontline employees describe a heavy emotional toll, recounting fake itineraries with obvious red flags and hours spent trying to help distraught victims get home safely.
• Newfoundland and Labrador RCMP report an anecdotal rise in these schemes, outline common tactics, and advise families to intervene and help victims cut off contact.