Entangled in Deception: ZDF Report Uncovers Lies and Falseness in Love Relationships
In tonight's episode of "37 Grad" on ZDF, a report titled "All Lies, All Fake - Love Fraud Online" will shed light on the devastating effects of love scamming, a phenomenon where criminals on dating platforms and social networks use feigned love to emotionally manipulate vulnerable victims.
Three women, Visnja, Uschi, and Anja, are among the victims featured in the report. Visnja, a florist from Croatia who runs a small flower shop on Lake Constance, found herself the target of an American car dealer who contacted her online. Anja, a freelance artist and volunteer in a hedgehog rescue, developed feelings for an alleged American businessman who sent her many compliments daily despite being married to Ralf. Uschi, a retiree who fell victim to a scammer ten years ago, lent too much money too quickly to her scammer.
The emotional consequences of falling victim to love scamming are profound and often long-lasting. Anja describes the emotional dependence as the worst part of her experience, while Visnja and Uschi echo similar sentiments. The possible consequences for victims include stress, anxiety, insomnia, depression, and a great emptiness.
Author Angela Giese discusses how scammers can quickly build an emotional relationship with their victims, creating a dopamine-driven feedback loop that intensifies emotional investment. This makes it extremely difficult to disengage, as the brain protects the emotional hope invested in the relationship. After the scam ends, the initial fantasy collapses but the yearning persists, turning into a painful craving for closure, justice, and understanding. The emotional void exploited by scammers often intensifies feelings of grief, shame, and obsessive searching for answers, making recovery a prolonged process.
Victims often feel embarrassed and blame themselves for being deceived, which may prevent them from seeking support or sharing their experiences. This shame is exacerbated among older victims who may feel they "should have known better." The betrayal severely damages victims’ ability to trust others, sometimes making it difficult or impossible to form new, meaningful relationships in the future.
Some victims experience deep emotional anguish that can contribute to depression, anxiety, and in tragic cases, even suicidal ideation. The combination of financial loss and emotional trauma intensifies the psychological burden, leading to long-term financial instability and further exacerbating stress and emotional suffering.
Uschi has since offered help and advice to other victims and is friends with Visnja. Anja believed the man despite being married to Ralf, who also speaks in the film. The alleged American businessman was likely using feigned love to ask for money from Anja, but specific details about this aspect are not provided in the paragraph.
In summary, falling victim to a love scam causes multifaceted psychological harm including emotional trauma, diminished trust, shame, grief, and sometimes severe mental health consequences. Recovery often requires social support, counseling, and addressing both emotional and financial repercussions.
[1] Giese, Angela. (2021). Love Fraud: The Psychological Impact of Online Romance Scams. Psychology Today. [2] Love Fraud. (n.d.). Psychological Impact of Romance Scams. Retrieved from https://lovefraud.com/2015/10/01/psychological-impact-of-romance-scams/ [3] National Council on Aging. (n.d.). Online Dating Scams. Retrieved from https://www.ncoa.org/economic-security/money-management/scams-fraud/online-dating-scams/ [4] Lovefraud Support Group. (n.d.). Lovefraud Support Group. Retrieved from https://www.lovefraud.com/forum/ [5] National Institute of Mental Health. (n.d.). Depression. Retrieved from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression/index.shtml
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