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Original poster

She's being scammed

127 replies

RAINBOW · 22/12/2017 22:33

A friend of mine is lovely, kind hearted, generous, loyal and fun. However she is also easily convinced and gullible. She met a man on a dating site several months ago and they started chatting. He says he is an American soldier with a young daughter (Shane) aged 6 is deoloyed in Nigeria for 7 months. He has sent her voice messages which do not have an American accent (African I think) and videos of him and his daughter. In the videos the mman has a Cockney accent and he calls the girl Macey. He has added her on Facebook. He only joined in August (while supposedly serving in Nigeria) and I don't think it's him. A few months ago some other friends and I talked to her about him saying it doesn't added up. My friend had reason for all of it. Macey is a nickname, he's putting on voices etc. She was adamant she had not sent him money. Last night, after a few drinks, she told us that about 3 weeks ago he asked for money to apply for leave to come to hers at Christmas. He needed £475 to apply and £2600 for a plane ticket with the promise of giving her £6000 when he arrives on the 23rd (tomorrow. My friend is on benefits so has got loans out to pay him. She sent the money so now has to wait until he arrives to buy presents for her 5 children. She also said that she doesn't know how she will feed them over the school holidays as she's been taking them to breakfast club and they've been having school dinners. Everyone can see this as a scam except her. If it was just her I would let her get on with it and be There when it all went pear shaped but it's the children I feel sorry for. WWYD?

OP posts:
NatureWalk · 23/12/2017 15:23

Has she had any contact from him today?

PurplePenguins · 23/12/2017 15:25

She is a good friend and would help anyone with anything. She has just fallen for this guy she is convinced she knows. He's sent videos, pictures and voice messages saying he loves her and wants to marry her and she's fallen for it all.

PurplePenguins · 23/12/2017 15:27

Yes he sent her a voice message at 6.30 saying he can't wait to get there but nothing since.

LIZS · 23/12/2017 15:28

Bet his profile goes pff when he no-shows or another hard luck story appears involving £.

Poisongirl81 · 23/12/2017 15:31

He will be stuck in an airport no doubt and need more money. Have you told her it's a scam? Can you track his plane if she has the flight number ?

Ceebs85 · 23/12/2017 15:35

Why would she prioritise a man over feeding her children if she is such a lovely person?

I would make my feelings very clear, I'd be so angry with her!

Are you going to be around when he inevitably doesn't show up?

MammaAgata · 23/12/2017 15:36

Oh god.. poor silly naive woman. I remember reading about a woman who was scammed in a similar way and even after it was proved he was not real (on a chat show) and after her sending him about £20k (her life savings and I think she lost her house) she still didn’t really believe he didn’t exist. Was so sad to watch. Can’t offer any advice, apart from being there and handcuffing her so she can’t send any more money which inevitably will be asked for..

AdalindSchade · 23/12/2017 15:48

This is painful. Her poor kids.

sarahjconnor · 23/12/2017 15:49

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Linzerelli13 · 23/12/2017 15:59

Report it: www.actionfraud.police.uk

If she's sent money via western union or similar chances are she'll never see it again though.

shakeyourcaboose · 23/12/2017 16:17

@purplepenguins are you the OP? Do you know that screen shot has a photo of your friend and her children in it?

Ceebs85 · 23/12/2017 16:22

@shakeyourcaboose

The photo is 'Neil's' not the OPs friend

shakeyourcaboose · 23/12/2017 16:25

I thought it was showing the chat with Neil so photos half and half, glad to be wrong!

10thingsIhateAboutTheDailyMail · 23/12/2017 16:27

This stuff happens all the time

You can't reason with the victims

But you can be there for her afterwards

Maybe she can sell her story to the DM, they feature stories like this all the time Sad

OurMiracle1106 · 23/12/2017 16:33

I’m sorry but if she’s plunging herself into debt and can’t afford to feed her children social services do need to be informed. She isn’t meeting their needs. She’s also (I’m assuming) inviting a complete stranger into her home (with her children).

Forget the money she’s lost, what if the person she’d been speaking to had come over and was a convicted offender? Or kidnapped her kids to get more money out of her?

Is she not realising what risk she is putting both herself and her kids at?

witchofzog · 23/12/2017 16:35

Silly silly woman. What on earth is she thinking? And how is she actually going to feed her kids? Xxx Even if she was absolutely guaranteed to get the money tonight she is still risking her kids Christmas by leaving it all until christmas eve. But when there is actually no money what is she going to tell her kids about why there are no presents and no dinner? They will never forget this. And what will she do to feed them? Will her family help out?

JediStoleMyBike · 23/12/2017 16:39

Did she know what flight he was due in on?

Gemini69 · 23/12/2017 16:41

She has gotten into horrendous debt... for a voice at the end of an internet connection... and not given a SHIT for those 5 kids sat in front of her for Christmas... astounding behaviour Xmas Hmm

MissConductUS · 23/12/2017 16:43

This is so crazy I hardly know where to start. The US only has a few hundred troops in Nigeria doing training. None of them has a cockney accent. They are very well paid as senior non commissioned officers or full officers with base pay and hazardous duty pay. Can anyone really believe that the US Army charges a fee to ask for leave?

What a train wreck, sorry for your friends kids OP.

MNHQ
YetAnotherDeckyTheHallsMumsnet · 23/12/2017 16:49

Hello OP- hope you don't mind, but we've removed the screen shot from your earlier post as it could potentially identify your friend. Please feel free to repost with their profile picture hidden. Thanks. MNHQ

CremeFresh · 23/12/2017 16:59

I had a friend like this - there was absolutely no telling her, I wanted to shake her ! For every excuse , she came up with a flimsy reason to explain it. So frustrating and those poor children.

Giftdilema · 23/12/2017 17:03

I have a friend like this. She is lovely but desperate to not be alone. She has been duped twice. First time the guy introduced her (his fiance) at work as a friend and wouldn't call her in the evenings as his children were at home or let her meet his three children even though they were meant to be getting married and all three kids 'lived with him' and we found out he was married but she wouldn't accept that he was. The second time she was duped by a proper nasty abusive twat who used her to get her pregnant so he could remain in the UK.

TheTroutofNoCraic · 23/12/2017 17:10

Any sign of Neil yet OP? Or of any pigs flying outside? Or hell freezing over? Or a 30th of February bank holiday?

PurplePenguins · 23/12/2017 19:03

No sign as predicted. Apparently a soldier's life is very unpredictable and his leave was cancelled as the security risk has been raised Shock.
She is distraught about having no presents and thinks she should have saved some for herself and the kids but still believes he will come in the new year Sad. I will try the fraud action line though. Just wish I could make her see reason.

Taylor22 · 23/12/2017 19:04

Have you tried being really blunt with her? No kid gloves just outright Adkin her why she's a gullible moron?