COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- A warning for the military and single women looking for a military man. A new scam is targeting women who use online dating websites to meet men.

Thieves are stealing pictures of military men off of social networking websites and building bogus profiles. The U.S. Army said it's happening all over the country and it could be just the kind of scam that could also be breaking hearts and busting bank accounts in Southern Colorado.

"I think it would be hard to come forward and say, 'I thought this person loved me so I sent them $2,000,' and it was just a scam," said Carol O'Dell, of the Better Business Bureau.

The scam works like this: after building trust through e-mails, chats or phone calls the scammers start asking for money for things like Internet use, phones, leave papers, or money to enable them to come visit the victim. The online Casanovas usually tell their victims that they are fighting in Afghanistan and don't have easy access to the funds needed for whatever they are requesting.

"Once they build that up that relationship it works because it's all built on emotion," said O'Dell.

She believes following one simple rule can keep your money and heart safe.

"Just do not trust any situation where they are asking for money and you don't know who they are," said O'Dell. "Do not send money to people you don't know."

The other victims in this scam are soldiers, whose pictures are being used to lure women into online relationships. Experts encourage those with military photos on public sites to upgrade their privacy settings.

If you feel like you've been victimized by this scam call the Internet Crime Complaint Center at 1-800-251-3221 or the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-438-4338.