Scammers target widows and divorced women using public data sources

International Women’s Day celebrates empowerment, independence and resilience. However, people rarely talk about a difficult reality. Women navigating major life transitions, especially widows and divorced women, have become prime targets for sophisticated financial scams. In fact, scammers often look for people going through emotional or financial change. That is exactly what happened to one woman interviewed by ICE after she lost her husband and turned to online dating.

“Somebody suggested going online through a dating service… and this guy’s pictures showed up. He was no George Clooney, nothing gorgeous, but he did resemble my husband.”

Stories like this highlight an uncomfortable truth. Romance scams do not succeed because victims are careless. Instead, scammers carefully identify potential targets and craft messages that feel personal and believable. Increasingly, that targeting begins with data.

Scammers often build trust slowly through online conversations before introducing fake investment opportunities. (iStock)

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Life transitions create digital signals

When someone loses a spouse or goes through a divorce, certain information often becomes public or commercially available:

• Obituaries list surviving spouses, family members and cities.
• Property records reflect ownership changes.
• Court filings may indicate marital status updates.
• Address changes and household composition shifts get logged in databases.

Data brokers collect and package this information. They build profiles that may include:

• Age
• Property ownership
• Estimated income or home value
• Household composition
• Marital status indicators

While this data is often marketed for advertising purposes, it can also be misused. Scammers don’t randomly search for victims. They build targeting lists. And “recently widowed” and “newly single homeowner” are categories that can be inferred from publicly available and commercially aggregated data.

How obituary scraping fuels targeting

Obituaries are meant to honor loved ones. But they can also unintentionally expose personal details:

• Full names
• Surviving spouse
• Children and other relatives
• City of residence
• Sometimes even maiden names.

Scammers scrape obituary websites and cross-reference them with people-search databases. Within days, they can identify surviving spouses, locate their addresses and find phone numbers. This is often the starting point for:

• Fake investment pitches
• Impersonation scams
• Romance approaches
• Fraudulent “financial advisor” outreach

The scammer’s advantage? They already know what just happened in your life. That makes their message feel personal and believable.

Romance-investment hybrids are exploding

One of the fastest-growing threats today is the so-called “pig butchering” scam – a long-term romance scheme that transitions into an investment pitch.

Public records and data broker profiles can reveal life changes like widowhood or divorce, helping criminals identify potential targets. (Felix Zahn/Photothek via Getty Images)

Here’s how it works:

• A scammer initiates contact through social media or messaging apps.
• They build trust over weeks or months.
• They introduce a “lucrative investment opportunity.”
• The victim transfers funds to what appears to be a legitimate platform.
• The money disappears.

Widows and divorced women are disproportionately targeted because scammers assume:

• There may be life insurance proceeds or retirement savings available.
• The individual is managing finances independently for the first time.
• Emotional vulnerability may make relationship-building easier.

These scams can cost victims hundreds of thousands of dollars. And the targeting often begins with data broker profiles.

Fake financial advisors and retirement predators

Another growing tactic involves scammers posing as:

They may reference accurate details such as:

• The value of your home
• Your approximate age
• Your city or neighborhood
• Your marital status.

Because the information is correct, the outreach feels legitimate. Some even create fake websites, LinkedIn profiles and credentials to reinforce credibility. Women managing retirement assets alone, especially after the death of a spouse, are often approached with “exclusive” investment opportunities or urgent financial warnings. These predators rely on one thing: access to detailed personal information.

Why data exposure increases risk

The more publicly accessible your information is, the easier it becomes for scammers to craft convincing stories.

Data broker profiles can include:

• Home addresses
• Phone numbers
• Names of relatives
• Property ownership history
• Estimated income bracket.

When scammers combine this with obituary data or court filings, they can infer life changes. They don’t need illegal hacking. They just need searchable data. Reducing that exposure significantly lowers the likelihood of becoming a target.

How to reduce your risk

International Women’s Day is about empowerment, and financial independence is a critical part of that. Protecting yourself means:

• Being cautious with unsolicited investment offers
• Verifying credentials independently
• Never transferring funds based on online-only relationships
• Limiting how easily your personal information can be found.

One of the most effective proactive steps is removing your personal data from people-search sites and other data brokers.

There are hundreds of these sites, each with its own opt-out process, and many relist your data later. However, reducing how much of your personal information appears online can make it much harder for scammers to build convincing profiles about you.

WHY JANUARY IS THE BEST TIME TO REMOVE PERSONAL DATA ONLINE

Start by searching for your name on major people-search websites and reviewing what information appears publicly. If you find personal details listed, most sites provide instructions for requesting removal.

While no service can guarantee the complete removal of your data from the internet, a data removal service is really a smart choice. They aren’t cheap, and neither is your privacy. These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites. It’s what gives me peace of mind and has proven to be the most effective way to erase your personal data from the internet. 

By limiting the information available, you reduce the risk of scammers cross-referencing data from breaches with information they might find on the dark web, making it harder for them to target you.

Limiting how easily your personal information can be found online can reduce the chances of scammers targeting you. (Uchar/Getty Images)

MAKE 2026 YOUR MOST PRIVATE YEAR YET BY REMOVING BROKER DATA

Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy.com

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Kurt’s key takeaways

International Women’s Day celebrates strength, independence and resilience. However, empowerment also means understanding how scammers operate in the real world. Criminals do not rely on luck. Instead, they rely on data. Obituaries, property records and data broker profiles can quietly reveal life changes that make someone appear financially stable yet emotionally vulnerable. Fortunately, awareness can change the equation. For example, you can verify financial advisors independently, question unsolicited investment offers and limit how easily people can find your personal information online. As a result, these steps can dramatically reduce your risk. Ultimately, protecting your financial future is part of protecting your independence. That goal sits at the heart of International Women’s Day.

Have you ever been contacted by someone online offering investment advice or a financial opportunity that felt suspicious?  Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com

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