You may head online looking for love, b ut a new, online dating scam may leave you thinking you've broken the law!
However, many are so embarrassed and scared that they don't even report the scam to police.
But one man is stepping forward to warn others.
As reported by WNDU News, It all started when "Rusty" joined the dating website "Plenty of Fish." He began communicating and exchanging text messages with a 27-year-old woman.
"At some point she started to send me some revealing pictures, and she asked me for some in return, " said Rusty.
He played along, until.... "She said something like, um, are you ready to do so-in-so to this 17-year-old body? And immediately I responded, 17?," he said.
Rusty then received a call from Tampa police. He googled the number, and it showed it was police.
"He read off three different felony counts and threatened me with up to I think it was 25 years in prison."
He also got a call from a man pretending to be the girl's father. The dad sounded legit, until he implied money would make the nightmare go away.
Rusty frantically searched the web and realized he wasn't alone. It turned out to be a scam.
Several smartphone apps allow users the ability to change their phone number, even allowing it to show up as local police.
Steve Hegarty, from the Tampa Police Department, said he's stunned by the sophistication.
"There are many layers to it, so even if you're skeptical after the first layer, you might think, "Oh, wow, this is really getting to be a big problem," he said.
The ultimate goal of the scam is to get your money. The crooks say it's needed to pay for things like therapy for their daughter or just to hold the victim accountable.
When you do give money, they tend to ask for more, holding the threat of arrest over your head.