Anguish of Billingshurst woman conned out of £20,000 by internet ‘boyfriend’

A 55-year-old Billingshurst woman has spoken of her anguish after she lost £20,000 to an internet romance fraudster.
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“I thought I had found someone I could really connect with, who understood me, accepted my complex situation, had a beautiful romantic way with words, and showed insights into what I believed were shared experiences,” she said.

“Money came into the conversations, and to begin with I was very cautious, having heard about such scams.

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“We all know never to click on links in unsolicited emails, give out bank details or personal information to people we don’t know or trust, and I didn’t think I could fall victim like I did.

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“But the level of detail was such, and the timeline related to real world events, and my questions and doubts all received realistic and plausible answers, that I sent money as requested, believing that it would benefit many people, my family included.

“The turning point came when I showed his photo to a friend, and her friend explained that it had to be an old photo due to the uniform being worn at the time it was taken.

“Then another friend asked if I had done a reverse image search, which I had never heard of, but brought up all the photos I’d been sent, along with messages that were very similar to some I had received, clearly scripted.

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“I reported my story to the Police, who have been very helpful and supportive. It seems I am in the minority in that I believe this is a scam – many others sadly continue to believe their contact, having invested more time and money than I did, however bizarre their stories.

“They assure me that although I feel stupid, these people are so highly skilled in manipulation and IT that many people just like me fall victim to them all the time.

“As well as money I have lost self-confidence, struggle to hold myself together day by day, am forgetful, and can no longer trust my gut instincts.”

Police say that, thankfully, after the woman explained the situation to her bank, they agreed to refund the money.

But, say police, others are not so lucky.

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A spokesman said: “Romance fraud, or dating fraud, occurs when you think you’ve met the perfect partner online but they are using a fake profile to form a relationship with you.

“They gain your trust over a number of weeks or months and have you believe you are in a loving and caring relationship. However, the criminal’s end goal is only ever to get your money or personal information.”

Sussex Police has received 195 reports of romance fruad from January to September 2020 - a 56 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2019.

The frauds resulted in a total loss of £2,919,371 from 128 victims.