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Original poster

Woman scammed of £113,000

87 replies

Blueberrywhirl320 · 06/05/2021 18:34

I read this article in the paper today about a 50 year old British woman who's been scammed out of £113,000 from an online love from Ukraine, someone who she never met.
How is it possible for people still to fall for scams like this in 2021 when there's been numerous of programmes on the TV about it, newspaper reports. I honestly don't get how you can send a stranger who you've never met money or your bank details.

OP posts:
Crimeismymiddlename · 06/05/2021 19:44

I think it’s a mix of the professional scammer who knows who to target and the profile of the victim. I read recently that people who become victims of this type of scam specifically have low emotional intelligence and high self esteem. Which tally’s with people I know who have fallen for this and it makes sense that the victims truly believe that young, attractive and successful person would be into them while not reading the obvious clues that they are out for what they can get.
I am in no way blaming the victims, it really isn’t there fault if they believe what they are told and i can’t imagine the repercussions after-how would you trust again.

RickiTarr · 06/05/2021 19:45

@Surroundedbytime

I always wonder where they get their money from. All these women who are scammed seem to have tens of thousands or have just sold a million pound house.
Inheritance.

If you’re savvy enough to have made it yourself, you’re too savvy to give it to a randomer online with a sob story.

Original poster
Blueberrywhirl320 · 06/05/2021 19:56

@Surroundedbytime, maybe they get the money from inheritance or they've just recently sold their house or won at bingo or the lottery?

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Doona · 06/05/2021 19:57

Imagine spending months and months faking a relationship in the hope of scamming money. How messed up would you have to be to do that. Mind you, I've known women who do that in real life to men and totally get off on the power of it.

ilikebungalows · 06/05/2021 19:58

This story was on the local news last night. She now faces bankruptcy. I'll save my sympathy for innocent people who might lose money because of her stupidity.

Doona · 06/05/2021 19:58

In the story I saw, she took out bank loans and got help from her family. Sad

Original poster
Blueberrywhirl320 · 06/05/2021 20:03

@Dooona Really? I can't believe she got her family involved. So so selfish!

OP posts:
Original poster
Blueberrywhirl320 · 06/05/2021 20:05

@crimeiamymiddlename who's else's fault is it though?

OP posts:
Theunamedcat · 06/05/2021 20:05

There was the story of the couple (i believe) who were rang by "the police" telling them they needed to move all there money to a "safe account" as there's was at risk the bank stopped a transaction so they went to the bank to transfer more money the bank told them it was a scam but they were adamant they were transferring the money ultimately the bank had to allow them and they lost it all and were trying to get the bank to refund them despite the bank trying to stop them 🤦‍♀️

Doona · 06/05/2021 20:07

I don't think it was selfish. She thought his life was in danger and that he had a daughter. Obviously she was wrong, but unlike the scammers she was a good hearted person. Also, to go public to warn other people was very brave!

Echobelly · 06/05/2021 20:08

It does seem astounding, but I guess some of these guys are very good.

I'll admit, for a laugh I accepted the FB friend request of an 'American doctor stationed in Afghanistan', to see how long it would be before her desperately needed 10,000 quid.

He was not very good.

He couldn't speak good English, he did actually voice call me, making it even more obvious he was not American.

Sadly, also quite boring in that all he could do was repeat stuff about 'I love you' 'I miss you' 'I can't stop thinking about you'. Although it was quite funny when he tried to talk sexy. Grin

I gave up after a few days as it got pretty dull.

I don't know if he was delusional of if he'd had some success - I can only imagine someone like that getting somewhere with someone desperately lonely who also doesn't speak much English. But then if her English was so bad she couldn't see through this guy, I doubt she'd understand requests for money.

But I know there are much more sophisticated scammers out there. I read an account once by a woman who was obviously not dumb, but this guy drew her in in such as way that alarm bells didn't ring when he every meeting was cancelled due to escalating (and expensive) family emergencies. Reading about it, it seemed obviously, but evidently not when you're the target.

Original poster
Blueberrywhirl320 · 06/05/2021 20:09

@theunamedcat I vaguely remember that story! This is what I don't understand, why don't these so called victims ever listen when they're strongly advised not to transfer money or give bank details?

OP posts:
Wegobshite · 06/05/2021 20:10

@Doona
They won’t be the only one
They will probably have 5 -10 maybe 20 plus women and men who are various stages of the scam
Some are small time scammers and some are big proper organised crime groups that do this .

PanamaPattie · 06/05/2021 20:11

I don't think you need to be that sophisticated to separate a fool from their money.

NiceGerbil · 06/05/2021 20:17

The scammers are very very good.

I know it's a worn phrase but the focus on the victim is wrong. Why did she fall for it etc.

Some people are vulnerable gullible desperate etc.

And the scammers are professional criminals.

Everyone says I can't believe I got tricked like this.

I've not been caught but I know more than one person who has. People who I know are clever, conscientious etc.

One was an HMRC scam, my friend was a successful small business owner.

The other was my dad, I'm not supposed to know as he's mortified. His was minor- a site charging for new EU health card which is free through the proper site. The women lost about 7k.

Never say never. In short.

Original poster
Blueberrywhirl320 · 06/05/2021 20:19

@echobelly I'm glad you didn't fall for the scam! @Doona it is selfish to get her family involved which caused them to loose money too!
His story is so far fetched though! He's been kidnapped & the kidnappers are demanding money, but they've allowed him access to a computer or phone where he could easily contact the authorities, but he doesn't contact the authorities, he hits her up for the money???

OP posts:
BorderlineHappy · 06/05/2021 20:20

I was watching Dr Phil a few years ago.
And a women was getting scammed,she wouldnt listen to her family.
So they brought her to Dr Phil,he even got the Mayor of the town the scammer was supposed to be in to talk to her.And she still sent money.

Also i know someone quite recently whose marriage broke up because she was trying to raise funds for her "bf".

Even though said bf was an actor but still needed her to send money.

NiceGerbil · 06/05/2021 20:22

Fools.

Nice.

Oh I also know a woman in an invoice payments role who got caught by a v sophisticated scam at work. They kept her on.

Also when you apply for a trademark you get spammed with loads of things that look really genuine but have tiny print at the bottom saying it's to put in a database, I bet loads of people fall for that. They are v convincing as well.

To dismiss people who fall victim to really professional fraudsters as fools etc may make people feel better but in the end it's a sort of 'that would never happen to me' defence thing.

Candleabra · 06/05/2021 20:23

Scammers prey on vulnerable people though. And you can go through vulnerable periods in your life when you can do things you wouldn't do normally. Bereavement, stress, caring responsibilities can all make you lose your radar for even obvious scams.
The scammers do their homework.

JenniferWeCantGoWrong · 06/05/2021 20:30

@Candleabra

Scammers prey on vulnerable people though. And you can go through vulnerable periods in your life when you can do things you wouldn't do normally. Bereavement, stress, caring responsibilities can all make you lose your radar for even obvious scams. The scammers do their homework.

I agree with @Candleabra

It's really easy to label people as foolish or stupid but often they are incredibly vulnerable and that's why they suspend disbelief. There are also times in our lives when we are so busy that we rush things and don't think them through. The Royal Mail texts are obviously scams but I can see if you are dealing with elderly parents, work, teenage angst etc. that you might not have the headspace to think anything other than you are ticking off a job and getting a parcel.

The scammers are callous criminals who prey on these weaknesses.

NiceGerbil · 06/05/2021 20:33

My friend with the small business is from Romania and is very successful and clever but the emails from HMRC and the fines mentioned etc panicked her.

My dad he just didn't know it was supposed to be free.

My work colleague the emails authorising payments came from the CEO actual email address.

Etc etc.

MoChridhe · 06/05/2021 20:36

The ones that annoy me the most are those who get scammed by people pretending to be Hollywood superstars/ celebrity. I mean why would brad pitt ask you to invest 50k in his business? Why would he be in love with you (menopausal, dumpy looking not Hollywood sexy starlet?

SionnachRua · 06/05/2021 20:36

This is how I feel about MLMs and the poor suckers they rope in.

But if scams didn't work, scammers wouldn't keep doing them. I once heard that scammers deliberately use poor spelling in messages in order to weed out people who'll clock that as a red flag. Leaves them time to focus on the gullible, vulnerable or lonely who will overlook those issues (not that everyone vulnerable would - but you see what I'm saying, I'm sure).

MrsGulDukat · 06/05/2021 20:43

A relative of mine works in a bank and she says that they get someone in who's been scammed nearly everyday.

Some have been scammed out of thousands of £