An Oceanwide woman says she was scammed for nearly $500,000 and threatened by someone who got her information off of a dating website.

Connie Rotolo created an account on Zoosk in the months after her husband died.

She was only on the website for a few days when she decided it wasn't for her and began ignoring the profile. But someone, who said their name was Andrew Deckert, reached out and told her he was a civil engineer about to start a project in Manila.

The two had never met in person, but there was a lot of correspondence.

"This guy promised me the world and the moon and the sun and the stars," Rotolo says.

The user, who identified as Deckert, started asking for monetary help, which Rotolo says she first ignored.

It wasn't until she received a frightening message from the alleged scammer that she started giving money.

"He said, 'Doll, listen, you got to get to the bank, they're gonna kill me and they're gonna kill you, you got to go get these wire transfers," Rotolo says.

Within a month, those wire transfers would cost Rotolo $475,000 and trying to get her life back has been frustrating.

She says she has filed a report with Nassau County police and hired a private investigator.

The private investigator created a massive paper trail about the alleged criminal, but says the police are holding things up.

Rotolo says the person behind the scam is now threatening her, saying he is going to send the mafia after her.

"I really fell for it, and I feel like I am destroyed mentally and physically," Rotolo says. "He's destroyed my life."

Rotolo now works with a group to help warn others about online scams.

She says some red flags are anyone posing as a doctor, engineer or a general. She also says to watch out for people who claim their assets are frozen and when terms of endearment are being used quickly after the first encounter.