Disabled woman conned out of £45k
A housebound widow has been left penniless after she was swindled out of her lifesavings by a con man she fell in love with over the Internet.
The 52-year-old, from the East Riding, who was too ashamed to be identified, sent £45,000 to a man she thought was her new partner, to help him move from America so he could come and live with her and her two children.
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The woman who had her life savings stolen is too ashamed to be identified.
He had spent months chatting to the woman, who is registered disabled, over e-mail, after they met on legitimate website Dating Direct.
He told her he was in the US Army and even requested her 10-year-old daughter call him dad.
But days after the woman sent the money, she was visited by Humberside Police officers, who broke the devastating news to her that she had been robbed.
The pictures the conman had sent her, claiming to be of himself, were in fact of a retired Major General of the US Army, who had been the second-highest-ranking military officer in Iraq.
Her money had in fact ended up in Africa and, according to police, is likely never to be seen again.
The victim, who suffers with chronic bronchitis and emphysema, two diseases of the lungs in which the airways become narrowed, said she now feels stupid and alone.
She said: "I feel sick, annoyed, but most of all stupid.
"I know people won't understand why I sent the money, but I had no reason to doubt he was moving to the UK to be with me.
"I'd fallen in love with him, he used to send me poetry.
"I would have a message when I woke up and throughout the day and last thing at night, he made me feel special.
"We would speak two or three times a day, we seemed to have so much in common."
Looking back now, the woman says she still struggles to believe what has happened to her.
She added: "He was just that good though, I can't explain how I got sucked in, he was a professional con man.
"Now not only have I got to deal with the loss of the money, it's almost like someone has died because I had this relationship with someone who turned out not to exist.
"I can get over what he did to me, but not what he did to my daughter.
"She believed he would be her dad."
Humberside Police are now warning women to be extra careful with men they meet on Internet dating sites.
There have been several similar incidents reported to officers in recent months.
Inspector Paul Welton, from the Economic Crime Development Unit, said: "We know that this particular scam was invented in Africa and we are working with the authorities in Ghana, however the chances of seeing this money again are slim.
"For many people, their immediate reaction is 'how could this person be so stupid', but what they don't realise is that these conmen are good at what they do and are able to exploit peoples weak points.
"Often people who fall victim to these scams are well educated, they have good jobs. Generally, they are intelligent people.
"We need people to be aware of these scams and to make sure they do not send money to people they do not know.
"We would also urge anyone who has been a victim to come forward."
22 Comments
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by Tekkin' a lag @, Queen Vicky Bogs
Tuesday, November 03 2009, 3:27AM
“45 grand????? She could have sussed that out real easy - check the airlines, you can get a one way ticket (First Class), for a bloodly lot less than that.
It's tough to have sympathy for someone who does something so stupid. The sad part about this is she has reproduced and that poor kid has her as a role model!”
by Alfa, Hull
Monday, November 02 2009, 10:52PM
“Brenda, if you were paying attention to this story from the onset, you would have discovered who started playing the race card and it was definitely not me.
Mick and a couple of others were having a go at Africans for something a conman from some African country did to an innocent lady.
Yes there is a race element to it because I find out I have to defend myself anytime an African errs somewhere and that is because of the attitudes of some people who are too often eager to spill out hate that was already seething inside them.
Some lady got conned by an African and all of a sudden we Africans have to run for cover.
I felt I had to enlighten some ignorant mindsets here and set the records straight.
People should think before they begin to write nonsense on issues they know nothing about.
So Brenda, you can point the finger at Mick, not me!”
by Brenda, East Hull
Monday, November 02 2009, 8:47PM
“Alfa says"What's it with all this hatred of Africans anyway? Or is it that they remind many of their own guilt?"
Alfa, I've no guilt for the actions of another.
Don't play the race card please, this story has no racist element, unless you choose to put it there.
The comments on this story would be one and the same if the lady in question had sent her money to a Turkish man, a Chinese man....the point is that someone has committed a crime against a vulnerable member of our society, and doubtless there will be other victims who have not come forward.”
by skippy, aussie outback
Monday, November 02 2009, 6:40PM
“absolutely no sympathy for her.how silly can someone really be??????????????”
by john, hull,
Monday, November 02 2009, 4:38PM
“Dave, Hull,. you take a very simplistic view of life. To say that the USA tried to overthrow warlords in somalia 'to help them out' and that the result of aid to that region is piracy in the gulf, borders on childish. Your statement 'the locals will know who these people are and are not giving out that information to the relevant bodies' borders on the bizarre?? What do you think these countries look like? Do you think it is simply a case of identifying a pirate and then the police arresting them?
Because of your limited view of the world you are able to link aid donations to internet scams, and draw a conclusion that they must all be involved somehow in a conspiracy to rip you off.
Is your take on history limited this as well? Britains wealth was built on african blood. Our position in the world today is because of profits made from the slave trade (that is how the British Empire became so huge). We all personally benefit from this simply by being British, yet you think that it is Africa trying to rip us off?”
by Alfa, Hull
Monday, November 02 2009, 3:30PM
“It really is appaling how eager some people in this country are to spit abuse and hate at Africans anytime someone from an African country engages in a criminal activity.
How does an innocent woman losing her money to a conman relate to the present state of African economies anyway?
Talking about con jobs, without excusing what happened to this woman, the sum total of money made by African conmen over the years is nothing compared to the huge sums made by western blue collar conmen in big corporations through all sorts of financial schemes that has put millions in under-developed countries in perpetual poverty eg Maddox and their likes.
Anyone talking about an altruistic Europe or G8 helping Africans is not seeing the larger picture of how the world really works.
Before you begin to take a swipe at millions of innocent Africans for the sins of a few, remember the role your country (any European country) has played or is still playing in the continuing rape, pillaging and impoverishment of the African continent and people.
It's all too obvious to see. We see it and we live it around the world everyday.
The pockets of Europe is dripping full of African loot and their hands drips of African blood. Yet they are all honourable men. Remember that!
Yet you never hear the Africans complain or deem all Europeans as dubious people. They just get on with it.
What's it with all this hatred of Africans anyway? Or is it that they remind many of their own guilt?”
by Alfa Isah, Hull
Monday, November 02 2009, 3:29PM
“It really is appaling how eager some people in this country are to spit abuse and hate at Africans anytime someone from an African country engages in a criminal activity.
How does an innocent woman losing her money to a conman relate to the present state of African economies anyway?
Talking about con jobs, without excusing what happened to this woman, the sum total of money made by African conmen over the years is nothing compared to the huge sums made by western blue collar conmen in big corporations through all sorts of financial schemes that has put millions in under-developed countries in perpetual poverty eg Maddox and their likes.
Anyone talking about an altruistic Europe or G8 helping Africans is not seeing the larger picture of how the world really works.
Before you begin to take a swipe at millions of innocent Africans for the sins of a few, remember the role your country (any European country) has played or is still playing in the continuing rape, pillaging and impoverishment of the African continent and people.
It's all too obvious to see. We see it and we live it around the world everyday.
The pockets of Europe is dripping full of African loot and their hands drips of African blood. Yet they are all honourable men. Remember that!
Yet you never hear the Africans complain or deem all Europeans as dubious people. They just get on with it.
What's it with all this hatred of Africans anyway? Or is it that they remind many of their own guilt?”
by Dave, Hull
Monday, November 02 2009, 2:22PM
“John Hull what drivel you come out with!!! You only have to take a look at somalia!
We tried to help them when the usa sent troops over there to oust the war lords out! Billions of pounds was sent to that area in aid yet part of its own people were involved in ripping huge amounts of to the locals knowledge! Yet the thanks we get from this country now is been high seas pirates shooting and kidnapping innocent people who have proberbley donated to somalia for millions in ransoms! Yet again the locals will know who these people are and are not giving out that information to the relevant bodies! Thats the thanks we get!
Zimbabwe is a classic example of there own people letting themselves down! they was all for getting rid of the farms that helped feed and employ people in that country!! Killed and pillaged there own folk in broad daylight thieving of eachother!
No thats zimbabwe been destroyed we have another country which is looking for handouts! What with a corrupt government, Which no opposition wants to overthrow! I.E the likes of morgan tsvangirai who was keen to visit western countries giving out speeches to whip up support for over throwing mugabe! Yet when it come to it he backed down given the superior backing that he had!! And then joined forces with mugabe, With little or no effect for his fellow countrymen, This attracts the likes of scamsters and other kinds of fraud into our lifes and it will cost us in the end as as always! Ghana and nigera and other parts of africa as well as parts of asia are well known for the scam and con artists, Its not about charity at home and the robin hoods of them countries its about ripping us off any way they can!
Its up to the genuine folk of that country to sort its own mess out and corrupt governments not us we have been donating for decades in this country as well as rest of the world to no affect! I suspect some governments encourage locals to do this internet pratice as its a way out from these corrupt governments of ever paying out a decent living for there fellow folk!”
by john, hull
Monday, November 02 2009, 1:13PM
“kev, hull. Mick is not right in what he says. Just because you worked in the oil industry, it does not give you expertise in African criminology. Working in Angola, Nigeria or Libya would give you a very good insight in to corrupt practices, but this is only a very small part of Africa. It should also make you a bit more worldly than Mick.
I work in London, but that doesn¿t mean I understand how the financial crisis came about
What has me donating a pair of shoes (for example) to someone in Zimbabwe got to do with this woman getting ripped off by a scam artist in Ghana? Nothing at all, and Mick is silly and ignorant for linking the two.”
by Kev, Hull
Monday, November 02 2009, 12:03PM
“Mick your quite right in what you say!
John Hull! what mick says is true, I worked in the oil industry for many years In and around africa! For one! This are the sort of places internet crime operate from! As mick says shanty towns! Yes the police Know who these idiots are committing this offences, But the majority of the police in these countries are corrupt! And this is happening right alongside those who are pleading for our help! And its costing western countries billions of pounds a year in fraud! Kidnappings ransoms all revolve around these sort of areas! Rather than major cities!”