Nottinghamshire woman left humiliated after losing thousands to online romance scammer
Karen from Mansfield is warning that online dating scams can happen to anyone
Last updated 18th Feb 2024
A woman from Nottinghamshire is warning people about online dating scams after loosing thousands of pounds to a romance fraudster.
66-year-old Karen from Mansfield fell for the scam after meeting a man on an online gaming platform.
She told us the man, who said he was Canadian and working overseas, tricked her into believing he had feelings for her, before grooming her into handing over her cash.
Karen explained how it all began:
"I was approached by a seemingly nice chap, and we started talking about the game. He asked me to move onto WhatsApp where he then proceeded to romance me."
She's been raising awareness about how easy it is to be scammed online, after thinking something like this would never happen to her:
"I couldn't believe that I'd actually been involved with a scammer and hadn't realised. I think as well there was a moment I couldn't believe it because I thought to myself, are people really that awful, are they that cruel, that heartless that they would do that to someone deliberately just to get money from them?"
Karen said she was left heartbroken:
"It's devastating because it's a mixture of guilt, pain, humiliation. You feel stupid because you carried along with this but at the same time you know that were not in your right mind, that you were being controlled."
According to Crime Stoppers, one way to spot a romance fraudster is if they declare their love for you very quickly.
They say many online fraudsters also claim to work overseas in medical or military professions, and will often tell you to keep your relationship with them a secret by not telling your friends or family.
Another sign is if the person you're speaking to makes up excuses why they can't video call or meet in person; it might be because they aren't who they say they are.
More information and advice can be found on the Crime Stoppers website.
You can also anonymously report any information you have to Crime Stoppers about those behind online dating scams.