Will you marry me? Bulgarian woman turns to News 6 to uncover international romance scheme.

Imposers use photos of a Miami cruise line officer in a game of love and money.

Orlando, Florida

52-year-old Bulgarian woman currently working in Ireland has become the latest victim of international imposters who use stolen photos of a handsome Carnival cruise line officer in an online dating scheme to swindle money from victims.

29-year-old Alessandro Cinquini

Known on dating sites as 'Alex the Officer', he first contacted News 6 in March 2022 when he discovered his photos were being used to scam women from Florida to India.

Vanya Dimova contacted News 6 after she saw our coverage of Chinquini online.

She said an imposter posing as Alex sent her photos and videos of lavish gifts, including a shiny engagement ring. Alessandro Cinquini has spoken publicly to warn women around the world that imposters have stolen his photos from social media platforms to create catfish-style profiles that offer love but target money.

News 6 sent her 15 questions ahead of time so Dimova could translate and prepare her answers during the Zoom interview.

She said she met Imposter Alex on Instagram on March 26. Alessandro Cinquini has spoken publicly to warn women around the world that imposters have stolen his photos from social media platforms to create catfish-style profiles that offer love but target money.

News 6 sent her 15 questions ahead of time so Dimova could translate and prepare her answers during the Zoom interview.

She said she met Imposter Alex on Instagram on March 26. According to Dimova, the conversation quickly went from casual to romantic.

"Two days later, he told me he was in love with me," Danya told News 6. - "Most of those photos are no longer on my Instagram. I deleted them years ago.

He told News 6 he currently works as an officer on duty at Carnival Cruise Line's Fleet Operations Center.

Danya sent News 6 a voice message from a man claiming to be Alex.

"I love you, I love you," the man said.

The voice doesn't sound like Cinquini at all.

The Miami cruise line manager has been battling fake imposters for more than a year. You've seen his story many times before on clickorlando.com. But now he says he finally has a social media platform to detect fake accounts.

Danya said this voicemail was the only proof she had. She never met the imposter in person or spoke to him on FaceTime or Zoom.

Danya said she became suspicious when the imposter asked her to pay for the cost of delivering the gifts. He sent her a receipt from Bank of America to prove his account had been blocked.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, romance scams generated about $1.3 billion in the U.S. alone last year, affecting 70,000 men and women.

The person who contacted Dimova last week deleted photos of Cinquini from her Instagram account, but continued to message her asking for money for shipping.

Danya said she never sent a dime.

If you think you've been targeted by romance imposters, contact [email protected] or Mike Holfeld at [email protected].

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About the Author: Mike Hohlfeld

Mike Hohlfeld, an Emmy Award-winning investment reporter for News 6, made Central Florida history with major investigations that led to new policies, bills and even - state and national laws. If you have a problem or story idea, call Mike's office at 407-521-1322.