BEREA, Ohio -- A Berea woman told police she lost more than $40,000 that she loaned to a man she met on an online dating website, ChristianMingle.com.

The 55-year-old woman told police she later discovered the money had been transferred to a bank account in Africa, according to a police report.

The woman reported on Feb. 7 that she had believed the man to be a Columbus resident and began talking with him the previous year. He sent her letters and flowers but they never met.

The man asked to borrow $500 on May 7, 2014, then asked for another $200 on May 23, 2014. The woman eventually loaned him $40,400. The man said he was an antiques dealer whose business often took him to Benin, an African nation on the Gulf of Guinea.

The woman said her mother hired a private detective, who determined the man was using a fake identity. The private detective reported that the money had been transferred from a bank account in Columbus to one in Africa.

A Berea officer spoke with a ChristianMingle.com employee who stated the company deactivated the man's account but was unable to help the woman reclaim her money.

The woman told police she was working with her accountant and was attempting to declare a loss on her taxes.

Since 2013, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine's office has received more than 90 complaints involving romance or "sweetheart" scams, with an average reported loss of about $22,000, according to a warning released Friday.

The scam artists typically won't meet with their victims, claim to have an emergency need for money or request payment using wire transfers or prepaid cards, according to the release.