SITTING in her office, Samantha Cooper reads over the details of her latest case for the third time. As she flicks through files of photographs, conversations and bank transactions, she looks for s…
SITTING in her office, Samantha Cooper reads over the details of her latest case for the third time.
“People would use profile photos that were years old, they would lie about their height and marital status.Samantha married when she was 30 but was divorced by 35, leaving her to raise two children, aged three and five, alone.“I’d received a settlement after our divorce, I had a house, some money and I wanted to protect my children.“Nearly everyone was using apps or online dating sites.“I had good computer skills and was smart enough to do a few basic online checks before meeting anyone.
Samantha says: “She said she’d met a wonderful guy — a lawyer who had set up a charity to raise funds after an earthquake in Haiti.“She did a bit of work for him, but when she asked to be paid, he ghosted her.“He wasn’t a lawyer at all, didn’t own any charities and was bankrupt.“It was incredibly hard to tell her the truth.“She thought she had a future with him and I had to bring her whole world crashing down around her.
“After a few checks, I discovered this ‘businessman’ doesn’t really exist and whoever it was pretending to be him is certainly not from the UK.Those most likely to be scammed are women over the age of 50, but it’s happening to everyone“People will say ‘They are so stupid, that would never happen to me’.
Be cautious if anyone asks about your family set-up, whether you have children or if you live on your own. Only share information when you feel the time is right and trust has been established. Samantha warns that modern technology allows con artists to get access to your personal details often without us realising.
She says: "When my marriage came to an end in 2013, after 20 years, I was keen to meet someone new and I decided to try online dating.He was extremely charming and good-looking. He always asked how I was feeling and was very flattering about me, which really boosted my confidence.He looked very fit and would send me photos of himself working out. I thought he was out of my league so I was flattered that he seemed interested in me.
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