Romance Scam

Hello Sir/Mam,
I have a situation that I need advice on. I have been dating a woman on the internet for over a year now. In that time I have sent money to her many times for various and sundry reasons such as dental appointments, rent, food, phone, etc. I recently found out that she basically does this for a living and has many guys that she is chatting with and getting money from. So I am wondering if I have any recourse? I realize that I gave this money to her of my own free will. She also did not use any type of identity theft as she is who she said she was. She did not sell me any products or try to get me to invest in anything and at no time was there ever talk of repayment. So basically these were all gifts that I gave to her so none of the basic fraud or scams definitions work as far as I know. So is there anything I can do? What if I found out she was married? Would that make a difference? Does the amount of money I sent to her over the last year matter? Like if I had only sent a few hundred dollars as compared to say if I had sent thousands of dollars? Basically I just want to know if romance scams are illegal according to Philippine law or if there is anything I can do to punish this person. I understand that it might not be possible and probably isn't possible but just asking just in case.

-Thanks For Any Information

Do you have a record of your online communication with her? Where are you located right now?

It may be possible to have her incarcerated under our Cybercrime law here, but we have to make sure of the facts first before we jump into any conclusions.

Alternatively, if you are here in the Philippines, you may visit the NBI Cybercrime division and ask for help there. Going to the Public Attorney's Office might also help since they offer free legal advice.

Ok thanks for that information. I do have a record of all the texts with her. I didn't record our video chats. I have been doing a little searching on the NBI site and can't find anywhere that someone has been prosecuted for romance scams. There is all kinds of other cyber crimes like hacking and identity theft and sextortion but those don't really apply here at all. Well anyway I will keep trying to gather information. I will be in Philippines in a month so I have a bit of time to figure things out for when I am there.

Keep us posted. Make sure to bring all your evidences in the Philippines before going to any government agency.

I hope your case will get a favorable resolution.