WARNING FROM WIFE

AS husband Gordon tended his prize-winning azaleas in the garden, Susan Perry grew convinced he was more interested in his flower beds than her.

So when a handsome oil rig worker befriended her on Facebook gushing compliments and promising a glamorous new life, the 73-year-old fell head over heels, messaging and talking for hours, behind Gordon’s back.

But “Gideon” turned out to be a conman sowing the seeds of an elaborate scam that would eventually cost her £40,000.

“I feel such a fool,” Susan admits ruefully. “I got completely carried away with the fantasy of being swept off my feet.

“Gideon promised me the world and I fell hook, line and sinker for his very convincing lies.”

Yet, almost incredibly, Gordon has forgiven his wife – and their marriage is stronger than ever.

“I wouldn’t have blamed Gordon for leaving me there and then – but instead he promised he would stand by me,” she says.

Three-times married Susan’s world was turned upside down last October when she received a random message online.

Happy

“It came out of the blue and read simply ‘Hi, how are you?’” Susan explains. “When I saw it alongside the very dashing and handsome profile picture I was naturally intrigued.”

The former-sales assistant wed Gordon, 73, after a “blissfully happy” decade together.

“We spent our retirement hosting and judging garden competitions and walking our dogs,” she said. “But within a year of getting married we seemed to hit a blip. All the fun disappeared.

“I craved spontaneity and excitement but Gordon was happy caring for one of our poorly dogs and didn’t seem interested in going out. I suppose I felt neglected and was looking for attention.”

“Gideon seemed genuinely interested in my life. He asked about my hobbies and said he worked on an off-shore rig but missed his 14-year-old son Paul, at boarding school in Dubai, and felt lonely.

“I never hid the fact I was married, but I felt sorry for him. I didn’t tell my husband about our chats as I didn’t think I was doing anything wrong. Gideon sent me photos of his son, his five-bedroom bungalow and swimming pool in San Francisco and videos of the oil rig he said he was on.

“It was all very convincing and I had no reason to doubt him.

“Gideon asked if he could ring me. So while Gordon was downstairs finishing his crossword or wordsearch I lay in our bed and talked to Gideon. He had such a soft, gentle voice. I couldn’t help falling for him.”

After a month Gideon – who had a French accent – called to say Paul had been seriously hurt by a hit-and-run driver.

“He sounded so upset,” she said. “Apparently ntly Paul had brain dammage and needed lifeesaving surgery.

“But Gideon couldn’t access money for the op while on the rig. Without a second d thought I offered to lend him the £400. .

“Gideon couldn’t n’t thank me enough, called me his angel and sent romantic quotes daily.

“He promised to repay me out of the lump sum he’d get at the end of his stint on the oil rig. I had no reason to disbelieve him.”

But more panicked calls followed – asking for cash for further ops and to clear his son’s boarding school bills.

“All I could think about was that poor boy in hospital.

“I used my life savings believing I’d get every penny back of the hundreds then thousands of pound pounds I’d sent,” said Sus Susan. “At one point G Gideon even told me h he’d paid half his w wages in and asked me to take care of it. I said no – I felt u uncomfortable bein ing responsible for so someone else’s money e y but i t was reassurin reassuring.”

Then he called again sounding terrified. Pirates had raided the rig, he gasped, and were injuring men until they handed over cash.

“I feel so stupid now but I believed every word.

“When he said he needed

I sent £14k to save Gideon from pirates’ on

his oil rig