Facebook Fraud Leads to Arrest

A Galesburg woman was sentenced to 166 days in jail last week for defrauding individuals across the country using Facebook and dating sites, reports galesburg.com.

Police reports state Debie A Miller was attempting to lure men on [Facebook] and promising them with love. The catch was Miller would ask for money up front to pay for her mother’s medical expenses or to pay back loans.  Miller told police she was working with an individual in Nigeria, who would have people transfer money to Miller. The victims also told Galesburg Police they had been contacted by other individuals requesting they send money to Miller.

Police determined, “it was obvious … there are several fraudulent schemes that have been perpetrated on multiple persons with Miller being an intricate part in transferring United States currency out of the country,” the police report states.  Miller pleaded guilty to one count of theft, a Class 2 felony. In addition to jail time, Miller was ordered to pay restitution totaling $16,951.