True love? No, just a scam, man finds

A Wauwatosa man thought he met the woman of his dreams, but after loaning her nearly $37,000, he realized she loved his money.

According to Wauwatosa police:

The man was gambling this summer at Potawatomi Casino when he struck up a conversation with the woman sitting next to him.

Before she left, they exchanged phone numbers and a few days later they agreed to meet up. She said she had been in a car accident and needed $2,000 but she would pay him back as soon as the insurance payment came in.

They continued to date and she continued to ask for loans for everything from traffic fines to hair appointments, purchasing a cell phone to taking a trip.

He gave her $36,822 between July 19 and Sept. 27. Then he started checking out and finding her story didn't add up.

He had never been to her house; they always met for dates. When he went looking for her home, he couldn't find it and the post office said no such address existed. He also checked the license plates of the various cars she had driven and they were listed to other people.

He finally realized he was likely scammed and was not going to get paid back any of the money, so he contacted police at 4:22 p.m. Sept. 28.