Online romance scams bedevil law enforcement

The FBI reported that the scammers use the illusion of a romantic relationship to get into the heads of their victims and earn their trust before asking for money. — Tero Vesalainen/Dreamstime/TNS

Jeanne Aikens was a widow in her late 60s when she found a new love. Or so she thought.

Aikens had nursed her husband through Parkinson’s disease until his death a few years earlier, and she was ready to start dating again. Aikens, a nursing manager at Boston Children’s Hospital, met a man called “Logan” through a dating site in 2018 and found they had a shared interest in running for fitness. Or so she thought.