Episode 4: Today’s episode mirrors a soap opera script. A charismatic bachelor who professes to have Hollywood connections lures multiple women from dating websites and promises them fame, money, and love and delivers on none. Romance scams occurs when a scammer uses the illusion of a romantic relationship to steal from the victim. Romance scams are some of the more heartbreaking scams out there because often, the victims crave love and attention more so than the money they have lost. Produced by the North American Securities Administrators, Real Life Regulators is a podcast featuring investment fraud cases from the files of state and provincial securities regulators and discussing how these regulators bring financial con artists to justice.

After receiving a tip from adult protective services, the Securities Department at the Office of the Montana State Auditor began an investigation into a man allegedly using bank accounts of fellow church members as a personal piggy bank. When all was said and done, more than $2 million was unaccounted for. Thankfully, Montana securities regulators were there to help.