FBI Warns Texans of Sugar Daddy Scams

MIDLAND, TX -- Sugar daddy scams are becoming increasingly popular, prompting the FBI to issue a warning for Texans. In 2020, the FBI reported 940 sugar daddy scams in the Lone Star State.

According to the FBI, scammers are targeting female college students and older women by offering them money in exchange for friendship and companionship.

The scammer will offer an amount of money and then send the potential victim a check for an excess amount. They will then ask the woman to return part of the money.

“What the criminal does is, they’ll promise to pay them $1,000 in this example for their companionship. So what the criminal does, instead of paying them $1,000, they will go ahead and overpay them $2,000. “The check that was actually deposited to their account bounced. So in essence, they don’t get any of the money, and they end up spending some of their money sending it back to these criminals.”

The FBI reminds individuals to avoid sharing bank information or use prepaid gift cards to send money to strangers.

Once the money is sent, it can be nearly impossible to arrest the scammer.

“We’re dealing with cyberspace; these gentlemen are very savvy. We do have the tools and capabilities of tracking them down, but it is very difficult to do.”