WIDOW’S WARNING AS SHE LOSES THOUSANDS IN ‘LOVE’ CON
US WIDOW’S WARNING ABOUT FRAUDSTER CLAIMING TO LIVE IN HARPURHEY
A WIDOW in the US who fell in love online with someone purporting to be a Manchester businessman has told how she handed over $60,000 – £47,000 – before realising he was a con artist.
When the 63-year-old accidentally accepted a friend request on Facebook, what she believed was a genuine romance blossomed. The stranger sent her a picture of a handsome 40-something gent and promised they would set up home together.
When they eventually spoke by telephone, he had a ‘German’ accent, but no suspicions were raised with his victim – who by then had fallen for his charms. Now Deborah Harmon, from Homosassa in Florida, who has been widowed for 20 years and has no surviving family, has told the M.E.N. of her ordeal.
The con artist sent her a picture he said was of himself and a picture of his passport to persuade her he was real.
She ended up wiring him $400, by Western Union, when he told her he had arrived on business in South Africa but none of the ATMs would accept his bank cards. More money was sent later and then, after he ‘set up an account in her name,’ she was told she needed to deposit cash to activate it.
She then sent him massive sums of money, first using up her life savings and later taking out loans to get more cash, believing they were building a future together. By the time she realised she’d been duped, she had handed over everything she had – and more, she says. Deborah said the man told her he lived in a flat on Rochdale Road in Harpurhey although no one by the name he gave appears there on the electoral roll. In desperation, Deborah turned to the M.E.N. We have forwarded her case, including a number of documents, to GMP and Action Fraud to investigate. We found three separate Facebook accounts which bear the picture used to scam Deborah, raising suspicions the picture is someone other than the conman.
The profiles variously claim the man pictured has studied at ‘New Manchester High School,’ which doesn’t exist, and ‘Manchester High School,’ which is a girls’ school – and the links to the supposed schools connect to Facebook pages of institutions in America.
Deborah told the M.E.N. she has spoken out in a bid to stop anyone else falling for the scam.
She said: “We would speak every day. To me his accent sounded German. He spoke in broken English.
“He said he was madly in love with me and that we would definitely be together and that he knew I was the one for him. He wanted to have a family. He said he had a son and he wanted me to be a mother to his son.”
Asked if she reciprocated, Deborah said: “I did. I do. I do have feelings for him but I can’t trust him. I’m very naive. I could kick myself.”
The scammer set up what appeared to be an account at what is clearly a bogus bank purporting to be based in ‘Budapest, Turkey,’ called Private Wealth Bank, sending her a ‘statement’ when she had deposited some money which she was required to activate the account.
In one email, an ‘account officer’ at the bank wrote in pidgin English to ‘Debora.’ asking her to ‘pay your first instalment of $2500.’ Deborah now says she is ‘very embarrassed.’
The M.E.N. tried three numbers on the purported bank’s website with numbers in Hungary, the UK and the US, but we weren’t able to get through to anyone.