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A group of men targeted Navy sailors on Tinder by posing as women seeking a romantic relationship to trick the sailors into handing over thousands of dollars as part of a bank fraud scheme, prosecutors say.
Samari Smith, 20, of Newport, Virginia pled guilty in mid-September to being part of a scam targeting sailors on dating apps.
As part of the scheme, prosecutors say the men pretended to be Navy Federal Credit Union workers.
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Samari Smith will be sentenced in January for one charge of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. He faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison for his “direct involvement” in defrauding four Hampton Roads-based Navy sailors out of more than $40,000, a release from the Eastern District of Virginia said.
Samari Smith defrauded four sailors who were stationed in Hampton Roads between April and August 2021, collecting more than $40,000.