Woman conned out of £30,000 in dating scam

ROMANCE seekers in Halton have been warned not to be duped by scammers after a resident who thought she had found her GI beau lost £30,000 to an imposter posing as a US soldier trapped in Dubai.

A Halton Trading Standards spokesman said the woman spoke out about her experience to deter others from falling into the same trap.

Their communication began on a well-known dating site and after a couple of months he suggested they move off the site.

Text messages and telephone calls followed and the man led her to believe that a loving relationship had developed.

He promised to move to live with her in the UK but the plans were supposedly interrupted when he claimed his passport had been seized and he was being held in Dubai.

The authorities would give it back if he paid a release fee but he had no cash, he claimed.

After asking for a loan and promising to pay back in full, the woman sent the money. He then gave another reason for not being able to leave Dubai and asked for more cash.

The excuses continued over a two-year period, during which the scam victim has sent him £30,000 via Moneygram.

She was not wealthy and took out loans to fund the help, but is now struggling to repay them.

Residents have been urged to protect themselves from scammers when using dating websites.

Halton Trading Standards said romance seekers should only use safe and reputable dating sites, hold back from providing too much personal information, resist shifting from the dating site to texts, emails and phone calls, and lastly to take time and think twice – is the person who they claim to be and are they looking for affection or cash?

They should also avoid being hoodwinked into transferring funds because of a heartbreaking story.

Cllr Dave Cargill (Trading Standards) said: “This lady didn’t behave recklessly and she isn’t stupid – she was groomed by this man for a few months before he asked her for any money.

“Professional romance scammers are skilled and patient: they will spend time building trust before they ask for money, so that their target is no longer wary of them.”

Anyone who has been caught out by a scam or fraud should call Halton Trading Standards on 0151 511 8785 or 0151 511 8775.

Alternatively for general advice on anything else contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline or 0345 404 0506.