A woman in Houston, Texas, had just moved out on her ex in May 2015 when she received a Facebook message from a mysterious stranger. The note was from an attractive Army captain stationed in Afghanistan, telling the 39-year-old mom that he “found her interesting and nice.” The woman, going through a tough time with her son, struck up a Facebook conversation with the Army captain that soon transitioned to email and text messages.

Soon, the captain began telling her that he was going to move to Houston, and that he wanted to buy the woman her dream home. However, when he was beginning to prep for his move, he asked her to sign for a package for him containing all of his belongings. She did, but she needed to pay a $980 “clearance duty” first. She paid it, but soon the shipping company demanded more fees. Before she knew it, she had sent over $44,500 to get her love’s belongings sent to America. He promised to be back in the country in August, but when September arrived and he still hadn’t shown up, she finally figured out the obvious truth: she had been scammed.

“I didn’t go further to track him,” she said. “I should have done that but I didn’t do it.”

These kinds of scams may seem like they’d be impossible to fall for, but they prey on people who are vulnerable and looking for a relationship. However, the woman in this case ignored a ton of obvious warning signs. If a stranger messages you on the Internet, there’s a good chance it’s a scam. If they demand money, it almost definitely is.