My Friend Was Swindled Out of 8 Million: The Dark Side of Dating Apps

This is a story of how my friend Takashi was swindled out of 8 million through a dating app.

Takashi and I go way back to our high school days. He was always diligent and excelled in his studies. He now works as a banker.

His only hobby was collecting railway merchandise and photographing rare trains or those about to be decommissioned. I sometimes joined him on these photography trips during the weekends.

Takashi owned a Nikon single-lens reflex camera, which, he told me, was top-of-the-line. I didn't understand much about cameras, but it was certainly important to him.

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Despite his many interests, Takashi has never been lucky with women. Ever since he turned 30, his parents started pressuring him about marriage and children.

By the way, Takashi's parents are local government employees and school teachers, both very upright people.

I had heard that Takashi started using dating apps, but I didn't pry since it's a private matter. There are many ways to find a partner these days, and I hoped he would find a method that suits him.

I Might Get Married

One day, I received a call from Takashi.

"Long time no see!"
"How are you doing?"
"Yeah, I'm doing great!"

Takashi sounded cheerful. "Actually, I might have met someone special through a dating app. I might get married."

"What? Congratulations! Who is she?" I asked.

"She's kind and beautiful. We also share a love for trains. I'll tell you more about her next time we talk."

"Sure, keep me posted! Give me a call anytime."
"Will do. Talk soon."

After hanging up, I was happy for Takashi, but also a little surprised. It had only been about two months since he started using the dating app.

Takashi Looked Worn Out When We Met After a Long Time

It had been a long while since I last heard from Takashi.

A whole year had passed since that cheerful phone call.

We arranged to meet at a pub in Shinjuku after work, at 7 p.m.

I arrived half an hour early and ordered a beer and some edamame while waiting for him.

Shortly after 7, Takashi showed up.

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"Long time no see..."

"Hey, Takashi! Long time no see! Have you lost weight?"

Takashi's cheeks were hollow, and he looked older than before. "Yeah, a little..."

"Are you ill or something?"

"No, it's not that. Actually..."

"Hey, wait. Let's have a beer first. And let's order some fried chicken."

"O-okay..."

"Sorry to keep you waiting! One more draft beer and some fried chicken, please!"

"Coming right up!"

Seeing how solemn he looked, I decided to lighten the mood with beer and my favorite fried chicken.

"So, what happened?"

"Well... I lost contact with her..."

"You lost contact with her?"

"Yeah... and all my savings are gone..."

"What? All your savings? How much did you lose?"

"Eight million JPY..."

"You're kidding me. Seriously?"

"Yeah..."

"How did that even happen?"

Takashi reluctantly began to explain.

As I munched on the fried chicken, I listened to how Takashi had lost all his savings.

Meeting Ms. Yumi, and Then...

According to Takashi, he had been in contact with several women through the dating app, but none of them felt like a good match. Then one day, he was contacted by a woman named Yumi, a 28-year-old single mother who worked in the apparel industry.

Yumi was also a train enthusiast, and they quickly hit it off, growing closer with each date. Eventually, they started a relationship and even began discussing their future together.

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They talked about how many children they wanted, family vacations, and where they would build their dream home.

It was around this time that Takashi called me, excited about the possibility of getting married.

However, things took a turn when Yumi's mother was diagnosed with cancer, and she needed money for surgery and hospital stays. Takashi offered to help.

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Soon after, Yumi claimed she fractured her leg and couldn't work, so Takashi supported her with living expenses and rent. He was told that her mother had debts and that loan sharks were after them. On top of that, Yumi's younger brother needed money for college.

Believing that he had to protect his future wife, Takashi ended up using all his savings to help her.

(Oh boy, love is blind...)

"What are you going to do now?" I asked.

"I hired a private investigator last month, and I'm waiting to hear back," he replied.

Still hoping that she was telling the truth, I encouraged him, "First things first, let's try to get in touch with her and hear her out."

(This sounds like a scam...)

I suspected a scam, but I didn't have the heart to say it out loud.

Because I felt so sorry for him.

It Was a Scam After All

Three months after hearing his story at the pub, I received another call from Takashi.

"Takashi, what happened?"

"Yeah... I was scammed..."

"What? I knew it..."

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We met again at the pub, and he told me that he had hired not only a private investigator but also a lawyer, as there were limitations to the personal information they could uncover.

It turned out that Yumi wasn't a single mother at all. Her parents were alive and well, and they worked in the beauty industry. She was unemployed, and her claims about injuring her leg and having a younger brother were all lies.

Every lie was exposed.

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With the lawyer present, they confronted Yumi, who promised to repay the money and signed a document to that effect. She was warned that if she failed to repay the money, she would be reported to the police for fraud.

When asked if her apology and declaration of love were also lies, Yumi apologized profusely but didn't deny it.

It was probably another lie.

Poor guy...

Conclusion

To sum up this scam incident, people often think, "I won't be fooled," but that's a mistake.

Those who have been scammed say, "They seemed like such a nice person," but that's also wrong.

People can act, and when someone asks to borrow money, it's usually a scam.

Especially with someone you've just met, you need the courage to say no.

When someone borrows money, they risk losing a friend, and the lender risks losing both a friend and their money.

If someone you met through a dating app asks to borrow money, just say no.

See you next time.