How a suburban man fell victim to online romance scam

Romance gone bad can hurt your bottom line as much as your heart, as a Sugar Grove man recently found out.

The 58-year-old man's troubles began in March, when he started corresponding via Facebook with a woman who told him she lived in Ohio, said Sugar Grove Police Chief Pat Rollins.

In numerous online conversations over about five weeks, she persuaded him to send her a new iPhone and more than $5,000.

Then came chilling news: She and her son had been hurt in a car accident. Would he please send her more money, to pay for medical bills?

The man instead said he would come to help her in person, despite her pleas that he stay home. He drove to a hospital in Toledo, only to be told there was no one there by his paramour's name.

Next stop was the address in nearby Findlay where he sent money. The man who answered the door told him the woman didn't live there. But he received money and items sent for the woman and forwarded them to Nigeria. According to Findlay police, the 60-year-old resident had met a woman named “Sarah Bill” several years ago at a cafe in Ohio, and she persuaded him to do this in exchange for a cut of the proceeds.

Rollins says the Findlay man probably was duped by the woman and was part of a “reshipper scam.”

While criminal investigations remain open in both Ohio and Sugar Grove, Rollins said the suburban victim isn't likely to get much justice.

“If it is going to a foreign (account), it makes it very difficult” to follow the money, Rollins said. And the amount is so small, he doubts federal authorities would get involved.

Scammers “do target people that are vulnerable,” Rollins warned.

And what makes us vulnerable? For one, our willingness to share the details of our lives and our feelings in our social media posts.

The FBI cites the case of a Texas woman conned into giving away $2 million to scammers who targeted her when she shared her religious beliefs and marital struggles online.

Last year, nearly 15,000 U.S. residents - 2,500 more than in 2015 - fell victim to romance/confidence scams, according to the FBI's internet Crime Complaint Center. Their losses topped $230 million.

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Yes, that Pat Rollins

Rollins' name might sound familiar, especially if you're a golfer.

The chief made international headlines back in 2012 when he rushed Irish golf star Rory McIlroy from his Lombard hotel to Medinah Country Club for the final day of that year's Ryder Cup competition. Seems Rory got confused by our Central Time Zone and believed he wasn't scheduled to play until an hour later than his actual 11:25 a.m. tee time.

Luckily for him, Rollins (then deputy chief in Lombard) was at the hotel with his unmarked police car and was able to deliver McIlroy to the course just in time for his round.

Had McIlroy been late, he'd have been forced to forfeit. Instead, he played a key part in Team Europe's stunning comeback win over the American squad that day.

<h3 class="leadin">Special blue lights

Buffalo Grove is helping its residents pay tribute to law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty.

Beginning Monday, residents and business owners can visit the police department to pick up a blue light bulb so they can take part in Project Blue Light. Started in Philadelphia in 1989 by the mother-in-law of a slain police officer, Project Blue Light encourages people to place a blue bulb in a front window or porch light during National Police Week, May 11-17, to show solidarity with law enforcement.

There are only 200 bulbs available, so anyone interested should call the police department at (847) 459-2560 before stopping by to get one.

On Monday, May 15, Buffalo Grove will hold a ceremony honoring officers across the nation killed on the job. The event will begin at 7 p.m. outside village hall, 50 Raupp Blvd., and will include a flag-raising and moment of silence.

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Signing off

Among the scores who attended Batavia Police Chief Gary Schira's retirement ceremony Wednesday: his first police boss, former Bloomingdale Chief B. John Potempa.

Schira joined the Bloomingdale force in September 1972, when the hiring committee consisted of Potempa and two village trustees.

The trustees were wary of Schira. “He's got an education. I don't think he'll fit in here,” is how Schira remembers it.

But Potempa fought for him.

Schira became Bloomingdale's chief at age 33 in 1983 and took the Batavia job in 2006.

His toughest times? The deaths of three Batavia officers. One, Jason Kloese, died of brain cancer in 2011, at the age of 31. The other two were victims of suicide, in 2006 and 2007.

A favorite memory? The unexpectedly warm welcome he received while riding in the city's Loyalty Day parade in 2006, just five days after he became chief.

<h3 class="leadin">New crime hotline

The Chicago Crime Commission this week launched a new Anonymous Crime Reporting Hotline.

It's available to anyone in the Chicago area, though the commission is starting a marketing campaign for it in three of Chicago's most violent and gang-infested neighborhoods - Auburn Gresham, North Lawndale and Washington Park - where they think residents may be more reluctant to call police.

Anyone wanting to report a crime or suspicious activity can call the hotline at (888) 393-6646.

Got a tip? Email copsandcrime@dailyherald.com, or call (847) 427-4483.