Victim of Romance Scam Tells Her Story

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Video Transcript

Initially, he would read my wall, I would read his wall, we would post things, he would like things, I would like things. Then, it got to we would just share e-mails. We started sharing pictures.

I knew that, just based on the conversations that we’ve had, that he was someone that I would like to meet. I felt a real soul connection with him right away. We sang to each other. We prayed with each other. We’d talk about what happened at church on Sunday.

There wasn’t an immediate talk about getting together. He was trying to finish up a job in California, and he needed some money to help finish that job up. And so I sent him [money]. I thought about it long and hard. I prayed about it. And I’ve always been a very giving person. And I figured if I had money in the account, that I could send him some money. And he promised to have it back within 24-48 hours. And I thought—I could do that, no one would ever know, and I’d be okay.

But one thing kept happening after another. He’d need more money because he was coming in over budget. Things didn’t get done on time. He needed a lawyer. He had to take a money loan and it needed to be paid back.

Part of me thinks that he’s going to come through and pay me back what he owes me and, you know, swoop in here, be the knight in shining armor.

But it’s just so absurd that there’s a big part of me that doesn’t believe that. And that is where this is all so pitiful is because, if he’s a scammer, I’ve been so brainwashed. And I’ve lost everything. It’s all I had. It’s any inheritance that I could have passed on to my daughter.

The loss of money was my future and knowing that I wouldn’t have to work, that I could just make it to the ripe old age of whatever and be perfectly comfortable. The loss that I’ve suffered emotionally I think has even been more traumatic.

I can’t even imagine a man, a person, that could be this bad. So, I think of him—I can’t think of him that way. My mind keeps me from thinking of him that way because there can’t be a man in this world that could be this horrible to have purposefully done what he’s done to me.

I don’t want this to happen to anybody else. If they’re real, and if the love is real, they are going to want to see you as soon as possible.

I mean, it’s been two and a half years and I still haven’t seen his face.