consumers of fraudulent activity associated with "lonely hearts clubs" in its 1967 Mail Fraud booklet. Some people use personal ads to ask for money, supposedly to travel to meet the other person. The booklet describes one individual who claimed to have a potential fortune in oil claims, needing "only another few thousand dollars" for development. Earning an estimated $50,000 a year through personal ads, he was eventually convicted of mail fraud and sentenced to prison. In one instance, a man placed personal ads in publications throughout the United States, claiming to be a single Asian female, and eventually bilking over 400 men of approximately $280,000. He later pled guilty to mail fraud. From 2011 to 2016, crimes related to online dating increased by almost 400 percent. Although murder was more rare than theft and fraud, a number of murderers used personal ads to find potential victims. Notable examples include: Belle Gunness was a serial killer with at least 14 victims, active 1884–1908. Johann Otto Hoch, also known as the Bluebeard Murderer and the Chicago Bluebeard, was a bigamist and murderer, believed to have killed up to 50 victims, active 1890–1905. Béla Kiss was a serial killer in Hungary with at least 24 victims, active between 1900 and 1914. Helmuth Schmidt was a suspected serial killer of 1–4+ victims, active 1913–1917. Henri Désiré Landru, nicknamed the Bluebeard of Gambais, was a serial killer in France with at least 11 victims, active from 1915 to 1919. Eva Brandon Rablen answered a personal ad in 1928 and then poisoned her new husband three days after the wedding, a murder that the Ogden Standard Examiner called "the most notorious case of its type". Harry Powers was a serial killer of five victims, active 1927–1931. Nannie Doss, was a serial killer of 11 victims, active 1927–1954. Raymond Fernandez and Martha Beck, dubbed the Lonely Hearts Killers, were a serial killer couple suspected of up to 20 victims, active 1947–1949. Harvey Glatman, known as the Lonely Hearts Killer and the Glamour Girl Slayer, was an American serial killer with 3-4 victims, active from 1957 to 1958. See also Missed connection Notes References External links Abbreviations used in personal ads Advertising Human behavior Interpersonal relationships Online advertising Online publishing