• Perkasie Borough police arrested a woman this week over an alleged romance scam, NBC10 Philadelphia reported on 29 October 2026.
  • The affidavit, as reported by Central Bucks Now, puts the alleged theft at $17,459.28.
  • Part of the alleged scheme involved callers posing as police officers.
  • A preliminary hearing is set for 17 November at 1 p.m.

NBC10 Philadelphia reported on 29 October that Perkasie Borough police arrested a woman this week over an alleged romance scam that cost a Bucks County man more than $17,000 after the two met on a dating app. NBC10 and Central Bucks Now spell her name differently. Central Bucks Now, citing the police affidavit, gives her age as 21. According to NBC10, she is charged with theft, impersonation and other offences, and is free on bail.

The dating angle is indirect. Neither outlet names the app, and neither says the platform took any action. The pattern is still one trust and safety teams will recognise: an in-person relationship, then escalating requests for money, then a second voice posing as law enforcement.

The DII Take

The alleged fake-police calls are the detail to watch. Those calls reached the victim by phone and text, according to NBC10, which means no in-app safeguard would have seen them. Operators whose safety messaging stops at the first conversation should look again at what they tell members about money requests after meeting in person.

What the affidavit alleges

Central Bucks Now reports that the man told Perkasie police of fraud on 18 August, by which point about $3,900 had been taken. On 20 August, a person claiming to be a police officer allegedly threatened to arrest him unless he paid more, and he withdrew $9,900 in cash and handed it over. He later found three fraudulent card charges totalling $1,290.28.

The total alleged theft is $17,459.28, according to the affidavit as reported by Central Bucks Now.

The total alleged theft is $17,459.28, according to the affidavit as reported by Central Bucks Now.

NBC10's figures differ slightly: about $3,000 initially, then more than $9,000, with the caller described as a deputy in New York. Central Bucks Now lists felony theft by deception, criminal use of a communication facility and access device fraud, plus misdemeanour impersonating a public servant and official oppression.

What to watch

She was arraigned on 27 October before Magisterial District Judge Regina Armitage, and the preliminary hearing is on 17 November. These are allegations, and Central Bucks Now notes that all defendants are innocent until proven guilty. NBC10 said no attorney was listed in court filings, while Central Bucks Now says court documents show she has one.

Police Chief Robert Schurr said: 'It's possible she is working with someone else.' Investigators are examining whether she acted alone.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported 64,003 romance scam reports in 2023, with losses of $1.14 billion and a median loss of $2,000. For 2022, it said 19% of those who lost money reported contact starting on a website or app, against 40% on social media.

  • Fake-law-enforcement calls sit outside any dating platform's reach, so member education on in-person money requests is the realistic defence.
  • The alleged $17,459.28 loss is well above the FTC's 2023 median of $2,000.
  • Watch the 17 November hearing and whether investigators identify a second party.

Sources: "Love Stinks" – when a scammer is involved (Federal Trade Commission); Romance scammers' favorite lies exposed, FTC Data Spotlight (Federal Trade Commission); Bucks County man loses more than $17K in dating app scam (NBC10 Philadelphia); Woman claiming to be law enforcement stole $17K from victim, police say (Central Bucks Now)