North Bay woman out $300,000 after being wooed by man on popular dating app

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A North Bay woman is out $300,000 after being wooed by a man she met on a popular dating app. Now, she's sharing her story and the expensive lesson learned with 7 On Your Side Investigates.

This was the first person she met when she got back out there after a more than 30-year marriage. She thought she was doing all the right things, even asking to see his identification but despite her efforts, she still got scammed.

Rajni Goswami read emails out loud to 7 On Your Side Investigates that her former love interest sent her.

"My dearest Rajni. Being yours is the greatest blessing in my life and I can't wait for the day when I can make you mine forever. You mean the world to me and ever since you came into my life, I have been floating on cloud nine without coming down."

When 57-year-old Goswami took the plunge, getting on a dating app a year after her divorce from a 32-year marriage, she was looking for companionship.

"I think I was not ready to be honest, I was just feeling very lonely," said Goswami.

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She thought she'd met her match.

"Forever yours, Harry," she continued reading.

Sixty-one-year-old Harry Burter told Goswami he lived in Los Altos but was traveling to Turkey for work.

"You know everyday he was calling me, he was like, he was talking so I love you, this that, I like you this, like I don't know he hypnotized me, nobody talked to me like that," said Goswami.

So when Burter needed assistance paying for some materials for his work project, Goswami was happy to help.

One story led to another, and with each, she transferred more money to him.

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Goswami thought she was doing her due diligence. She had Burter send her a picture of his license and even his passport.

It's not clear whose photo it may or may not be or who Goswami was speaking with on the phone, but as for his address in Los Altos, it is a real home and Sivaram Krishnan is the real owner.

"When you first called me I had no idea what you were talking about, because I had no idea that this had happened at all. The fact that they went to this level of detail meant that they really wanted to show some credibility," said Krishnan.

Information Goswami only found out later.

"I was asking him how come you're not on social media or anything else, on Google, he said he's a private person so I believed that, you know," said Goswami.

"I was hypnotized. Whatever he was telling me, I kept on doing it," she continued.

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"This person is a regular, trusting human being who was targeted by a professional," said Erin West.

West was a prosecutor with the Santa Clara County DA's office for more than two decades. She now runs a nonprofit educating people about scams called Operation Shamrock.

"We're seeing a lot of loneliness now. People are more vulnerable to those who reach out to them digitally," said West.

She says dating apps are aware that bad actors are targeting victims on their platforms.

"These platforms have an affirmative duty to make sure that their platforms are safe for those people who use them," said West.

7 On Your Side Investigates reached out to OkCupid. We have not yet heard back. On the dating app's website, under Trust and Safety, OkCupid provides tips for avoiding romance scams and directs users to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission website for more tips as well.

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West says legislation is needed so that dating apps can share personal information across social media platforms once fraudulent activity has been identified.

"Once we know that this photo and this identity is being used on one dating ap,p we should make sure that that photo and identity is erased from all dating apps," said West.

As for Harry Burter, after Goswami spoke with her daughter about the relationship - something Burter had encouraged her not to do - Goswami confronted him about his legitimacy. Even in the wake of being found out, his associates still asked for more money, emailing Goswami that he had passed away and saved her in his contacts as his wife.

This time she knew better.

"It was a very, very, very expensive lesson I learned," said Goswami.

She did file a police report with Napa Police Department. Goswami's bank, Wells Fargo tells us they are actively working to raise awareness of common scams. Also that a wire transfer is an immediate form of payment, like sending cash. Scammers who receive payments typically withdraw the funds from their financial institution immediately, making recovery unlikely.

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