Woman Loses Nearly $1 Million in 2-Year LinkedIn Romance Scam Using Stolen Identity
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 16
Woman Loses Nearly $1 Million in 2-Year LinkedIn Romance Scam Using Stolen Identity
2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 16
Summary
Gaby said a LinkedIn message in March 2019 led to a two-year romance scam in which she sent nearly $1 million to someone posing as real man Brian Haugen.
About $10,000 was the first transfer, and the scammer briefly returned it—helping build trust before escalating requests to $20,000, $40,000, roughly $200,000 for taxes and customs, and $500,000 for supposed surgery.
Repeated excuses blocked any in-person meeting, from business stress to later COVID travel disruptions, until Gaby demanded proof from the same email tied to the real Haugen's Zoom invitation and the scammer failed to provide it.
Brian Haugen said scammers stole his photos for fake profiles and even attached his image to multiple passports, making him a parallel victim of the fraud.
FTC data released in April 2026 showed nearly 60% of people who lost money to romance scams in 2025 said the fraud began on social media, with reported losses reaching about $298 million.