Bermuda Dunes Couple, 79 and 80, Found Slain as Fake Tom Selleck Scam Emerges

9 articles · Updated · Los Angeles Times · May 21

Riverside County deputies found Karen Whitaker, 79, and Donald Whitaker, 80, dead with traumatic injuries during a Friday wellness check at their Bermuda Dunes home.
Friend Joy Miedecke said Karen had been sending money to someone posing as actor Tom Selleck after receiving texts tied to a Facebook memorial post.
Payments allegedly began with $80 gift cards and grew to amounts such as $800; relatives later cut up credit cards and blocked her access to bank accounts.
Sheriff's homicide investigators are still examining the killings, and authorities have not said whether the alleged romance scam was connected to the couple's deaths.

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Beyond the scammer, who is accountable when online deception leads to a real-world tragedy: tech platforms or protective agencies?