This is the American Greed podcast presented by CNBC.

I'm Stacey Keach.

In this episode of American Greed, in an online invasion, romance scammers are stealing millions of dollars from unsuspecting Americans, posing as U.S. soldiers.

You would never expect somebody from the military to scam you.

I thought we were going to get married.

It's a perfect scam for the criminals.

They prey on those emotions.

They build the trust, and within a week, two weeks they're asking for money.

And then one victim turns the tables and cashes in on the scan for a lovely profit.

More than one million Americans serve in active duty in the U.S. military,

fighting for freedom at home and abroad.

For many, U.S. troops are held with great respect and admiration.

Amy Bouchatz is a reporter and editor for Military.com.

I think that there's also something to be said for a man in uniform.

I mean, everybody loves a man in uniform, right? And so, oh, and military members are typically very fit.

So uniform, fit, handsome.

But according to her husband, a major in the Alaska National Guard,

crooks have another idea.

Americans love American soldiers because American soldiers protect them. So how can I use that to exploit people and take from them?

In the age of catfishing, it's easy for con artist to assume the identity of a hero.

And it's even easier for these false heroes to trick victims

into handing over their wallets in the name of love. Christopher Gray is a member of the U.S.

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