CON SCANDAL
being run by six fraudsters. Sharon, of London, said: “I was in denial about how much money I’d given, but in the end it was close to £200,000. I was mortified. When it finally hit me, I had suicidal thoughts.
“Financially, I’ve been ruined. I’ll be paying people back a long time. I hope others can learn from my mistakes.”
This week, a great-grandmother told how she gave £8,000 to fraudsters after her partner died. Sally Jones, 74, joined a dating site as she was “looking for someone to play cards with”.
She was matched with a man called Harry, who sent her flowers and champagne but begged her to make huge money transfers via Western Union. She said: “Everyone wants to be loved. But if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.” She came to her senses after the scammer refused to meet in person.
Sally, of Littlehampton, West Sussex, lied to her daughters about where the money was going. She said: “It could have torn my family apart.”
Susan Perry, 73, was contacted online by a man who said his name was Gideon and soon afterwards she sent him £ 40,000. Her husband Gordon, also 73, stood by her when she confessed what she’d done.
Susan said: “I feel such a fool. I got completely carried away with the fantasy of being swept off my feet.”
Meanwhile, Steve and his wife, who split in April, are in the process of getting a divorce.
Steve said: “There had been no sign
the country. Also the CPS looks at a case based on the financial loss to the individual. A scam could have a considerable emotional impact on an individual, but if the victim sent the scammer
£650 for a plane ticket and that was the end of it, it’s going to go to the bottom of the pile.” anything was wrong in the marriage. We were planning my 50th birthday party. Now our boys’ lives have been shattered and we can’t even begin to explain to them why that is.”
Steve’s wife has made a complaint to a specialist police fraud unit, but the scammer has yet to be caught.
It’s unlikely that she or Steve will get their money back.
Of the £7.9million lost this year, only £500,000 was returned to victims.