{"id":4351,"date":"2026-07-17T09:05:57","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T09:05:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=4351"},"modified":"2026-07-17T09:05:57","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T09:05:57","slug":"she-knew-donnie-wasnt-real-she-sent-90000-anyway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=4351","title":{"rendered":"She knew \u2018Donnie\u2019 wasn\u2019t real \u2014 she sent $90,000 anyway"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Jean Booth sent more than $90,000 to a boyfriend she never met \u2014 and, by her own admission, never fully believed was real.<\/p>\n

Read more NBC shirks Trump speech<\/a><\/p>\n

The 43-year-old Maryland woman fell for \u201cDonnie,\u201d an online suitor posing as a U.S. Army paratrooper, after connecting with him on Match in January 2025. Over 237 days and more than 10,000 messages, Ms. Booth wired cash for his daughter\u2019s school fees, medical bills and his repeatedly delayed return home from overseas.<\/p>\n

She told The Associated Press she recognized the warning signs early, at one point admitting, \u201cI\u2019m at war with myself,\u201d as she debated whether to send yet another payment.<\/p>\n

Her doubts eventually led her to track down another woman entangled with the same fake persona \u2014 a discovery that upended both of their lives and forced Ms. Booth to confront just how far the deception had spread.<\/p>\n

Romance scams are surging nationwide. More than 49,000 Americans reported losing a combined $1.3 billion to romance scams last year, an increase of at least 14% from the year before, according to Federal Trade Commission data. Experts point to pandemic-era isolation as a driving factor, leaving more people vulnerable to online predators who exploit loneliness and hope.<\/p>\n

Read more The power of an engaged father<\/a><\/p>\n

Ms. Booth\u2019s yearlong ordeal, chronicled in a new Associated Press investigation, offers a rare, detailed look at how such scams unfold \u2014 and why victims often struggle to walk away even after suspecting the truth.<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 She knew he wasn\u2019t real. She was in love with him anyway. One woman\u2019s story of a romance scam<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\n This article was constructed with the assistance of artificial intelligence and published by a member of The Washington Times’ AI News Desk team. The contents of this report are based solely on The Washington Times’ original reporting, wire services, and\/or other sources cited within the report. For more information, please read our AI policy or contact Steve Fink, Director of Artificial Intelligence, at sfink@washingtontimes.com
\n<\/em><\/p>\n


\n The Washington Times AI Ethics Newsroom Committee can be reached at aispotlight@washingtontimes.com.
\n <\/em><\/p>\n

Read more Withhold federal education funds to protect girls\u2019 scholastic sports<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Maryland woman sent more than $90,000 over 237 days to a fake military boyfriend built entirely on lies — and admits she suspected the truth long before she stopped paying.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4350,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,131],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4351","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-spotlight"],"yoast_head":"\nShe knew \u2018Donnie\u2019 wasn\u2019t real \u2014 she sent $90,000 anyway - Home Buyer Relocation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=4351\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"She knew \u2018Donnie\u2019 wasn\u2019t real \u2014 she sent $90,000 anyway - 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