Romance fraud

[Mrspoopoohead]

I’ve been watching lots of scam programmes recently and feel so heartbroken for the victims. Has anyone ever come across romance scammers? If so did you realise and what happened?

I just searched romance scam after watching the show on BBC1 and this thread came up. Not happened to me but the ones on the tv show seem so vulnerable after a bereavement or divorce. These charlatans reel them in with a web of lies.

Not me but dp works in a bank and has people sending money to ‘boyfriends’ and ‘girlfriends’ all over the world all the time, he does his due diligence and asks all the questions he has to ask and tells them it sounds like a scam but they never listen.

My friends step dad fell for this. Her mum died and he was lonely. We printed off all sorts from the internet but he wouldn't listen. We did reverse imagine searches in front of him but nope. He sent thousands to "her" and it even got to her being held "in UK passport control" wanting more money for clearance I to the country but he still wouldn't listen to us. He paid. She didn't arrive. She was heartbroken as he was in fact spending all of her mothers money on this fictional person.

Sorry got distracted by dc, realise that sounds really heartless where I left off.

It’s awful how cruel these people are and they clearly prey on very vulnerable people but I never understand how when people tell you it sounds like a scam, assuming their families must voice some sort of doubts at the time, they don’t or can’t hear the warnings.

What show did you watch? @SeeeeMoreStars

For Love or Money

These fuckers are professional, people think 'oh I wouldn't fall for it' but it's like playing spot with Gary linekar, you're always going to lose.
it's heartless.
If your watching on iPlayer watch the Rav Wilding series too. Not romance but bank scams.
so eye opening.

My friend's mum fell for one. She was recently divorced and met a man online.....months and months down the line he started asking for money for various reasons, first small amounts then bigger....needed money to pay for flights to the UK, needed money to process visa etc. Apparently they had spoken on the phone for hours and hours so I think often they're cunning and happy to play the long game and make sure their victim has really fallen for them before they start scamming them out money.

My friend tried to talk to her mum multiple times about it but she just refused to listen and believe. I suppose when you're that emotionally involved you refuse to listen to reason/everyone else must be wrong. She ended up transferring him £12k in total over a couple of years before she finally realised he was never appearing and wasn't who he'd said he was.

Shocking. Poor lady.