Love Scammer busted after cheating $100k from Australian Woman
Katie Stuart lost $100k to a Nigerian love scammer whom she met online 2 years go. Even with the help of Consumer Protection and WA Scamnet (launching its new website), they managed to catch the scammer but she did not get all her money back. Consumer Protection estimates West Australians lost about $5 million to scammers last financial year.
A PERTH woman has told how she lost $100,000 in a romance scam and is urging others to be wary of people who befriend them on social networking sites.
Katie Stuart, 55, pictured, was slowly swindled out of her small fortune by a Nigerian man she met on an online dating site two years ago.
The mother of two, who is originally from Queensland, had just been through a painful marriage separation when she joined the site.
She soon struck up a friendship with a man called Paul, who, over the course of a few weeks, convinced her he was interested in a relationship.
Eventually Paul, who said he lived in the US, persuaded Ms Stuart to become a joint-venture partner with him in a property he “owned” in Florida. Ms Stuart said initially he only asked for a few thousand dollars to help “renovate” the house, but over the course of a year, more small amounts soon added up.
He told her stories how he had lost his wife and his son was in boarding school and desperately needed a mother. He suggested they should be a family.
It was not until Paul failed to travel to Australia in 2010 that Ms Stuart realised she had been conned.
Now she is sharing her experience to stop others being conned.
“I was on my own and I was very lonely,” she said. “I didn’t even know what internet dating was until one of my girlfriends suggested giving it a go. At first it started out as a lot of fun, then I met this one guy and we exchanged emails and it went from there.
“We spoke regularly on Skype, though he never had a camera, and it seemed as though we had a lot in common. I fell in love. I ended up putting money into this house.
“I know there are people out there who could have seen this was a scam but I didn’t. These people target people like me. I was vulnerable, lonely and naive. They are very adept at saying the words you want to hear.”
Ms Stuart tracked down Paul in Nigeria with the help of Consumer Protection and WA Scamnet, which is launching its new website today. But she did not get all her money back. Consumer Protection estimates West Australians lost about $5 million to scammers last financial year.
Commerce Minister Simon O’Brien said contact made to Consumer Protection regarding scams had doubled in the past year to about 900 calls per month.
Last financial year more than $5 million in financial losses were reported by victims.
More than 30,000 emails and letters are sent every year to WA ScamNet.
“Ms Stuart said the website is user-friendly and there is a lot of help and advice for people who have lost money through a scam – such as how to report fraud; where to locate a financial counsellor; and even suicide prevention advice,” Mr O’Brien said.
“If a phone call, email or letter you receive is suspicious, use WA ScamNet to research whether it is a scam.”
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FRANK Cathal EVAL (frank_allex@hotmail.com) 22/02/2013 Photos
To: Sandra
good morning my love how was your night
If I could have come up with the right words to describe the depth of this beautiful feeling that I have for you, I would have whispered them for the first time we met. The best thing I can do is show you now.
I love you too, honey. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me. You are like the best poetry ever composed, the best song ever played, the best picture ever painted. I never thought someone like me could be so lucky!
I love you more than my life, more than my world. I love you more and more every day and that is the most wonderful feeling any man can ever hope to experience.
What more words to describe what we have together? For our love to grow as it has in the past year, I took every beat of my heart. Words can no longer describe it, but the feeling and emotion than we have for each other. You always had the key to my heart and you in my heart made me more than I can ever be. Though the sea separates us till that special day, I know I take each breath with every beat, and always together … as one. I love you with everything I am.
Our love is the glue that holds our two hearts together and if I could put into words what you make me feel when I think of you and how much you excite me when I hear your sweet voice sexy, I would be talking forever. You’re everything I need and want, honey. I live for the day when I can sit beside her and whisper in her ear and say I love you and kiss you softly but passionately on his lips, and look into her beautiful eyes you take my breath away. I live for that first look in your eyes, that first passionate kiss, that first embrace and that first time you make love together. I live to live, to spend a lifetime with you as his wife and grow old with you, loving you at all times from now to eternity. I love love.
Always and forever,
Frank
===== Translated From =====
FRANK CATHAL EVAL (frank_allex@hotmail.com)22/02/2013 Fotos
Para: Sandra
bom dia meu amor como foi sua noite
Se eu pudesse ter vindo acima com as palavras certas para descrever a profundidade desse sentimento lindo que eu tenho por você, eu teria sussurrou-los para a primeira vez que nos conhecemos. A melhor coisa que posso fazer é mostrar a você agora.
Eu te amo muito, querida. Você é a melhor coisa que já me aconteceu. Você é como a melhor poesia já composta, a melhor música já jogou, a melhor imagem de sempre pintado. Eu nunca pensei que alguém como eu poderia ter a mesma sorte!
Eu te amo mais do que a minha vida, mais do meu mundo. Eu te amo mais e mais a cada dia e que é a sensação mais maravilhosa que qualquer homem pode ter a esperança de experimentar.
Que mais palavras para descrever o que temos juntos? Para o nosso amor a crescer como tem no ano passado, eu levei a cada batida do meu coração. As palavras já não podem descrevê-lo, mas sim no sentimento e emoção do que temos um pelo outro. Você sempre teve a chave do meu coração, e você dentro do meu coração me fez mais do que eu posso nunca ser. Embora o mar nos separa até esse dia especial, eu sei que tomar cada respiração a cada batida, e sempre juntos … como um. Eu te amo com tudo o que sou.
nosso amor é o elo que mantém nossos dois corações juntos e se eu poderia colocar em palavras o que você me faz sentir quando eu penso em você, e quanto você me excita quando ouço sua voz doce sexy, eu estaria falando para sempre. Você é tudo que eu preciso e quero, querida. Eu vivo para o dia em que eu posso sentar ao seu lado e sussurrar em seu ouvido e dizer que eu te amo, e te beijar de leve, mas apaixonadamente em seus lábios, e olhar em seus olhos lindos que você tira meu fôlego . Eu vivo para que primeiro olhar em seus olhos, que o primeiro beijo apaixonado, que primeiro abraço e que primeira vez que fazemos amor juntos. Eu vivo para viver, para passar a vida inteira com você como sua mulher e envelhecer com você, te amar em todos os tempos a partir de agora para a eternidade. Eu amo te amar.
Sempre e para sempre,
Franco
I was scrammered by a guy whom I have seen. I know him on dating website and he began to email me to make frined with me in March, 2012. He told me he was a private contractor and was working in Nigeria. After 2 weeks of knowing each other, he began to asked me to help him some money since he was robbed and he lost all money as well his personal information such as his passport, driver llicence. I trusted him and began giving him money.After that he continued asking me more money to pay his debts. He made up different stories about his situation and until now I gave him almost 10000 U.S Dollar through Western Union.
Now I realized and began to investigate his information including ask him a lot of questions and found out he told me lies and I said byebye to him.
I would like to imform many honest and kind women to be careful when making friends and fiding partnership on dating websites on internet since it is very dangerous when giving our real information to such Scrammers. They will use our informnation such pour photos to scram other people for money ..
These days, there are alot scrammers make Fake profile on Internet and introduce themselves as contructors, engineers, builders, or private house developers.
I am most appreciated if honest woman like mw to be caution with such scrammer on Internet so that we will not loose money, time, and to be suffered from ” love ” games made up by these scrammers.
Maria
Says he is famous psychic in USA Jayden. Buys you a 3miilion dollar house. True or false/
Meant to add: trying to find out if this has happened to anyone with same person or similar.
I meant to add: has anyone seen this name – Jaiden or Jayden – or a similar type of story. And what was the outcome?
Sad to know this. Hope it will not happen to anyone anymore…
I want the name of the people frank Cathal eval and diplomatic security service company fast company of india maharashtra mumbai he says it works Navy dublin ireland who has a 6 year old daughter who was going to australia, bike had a problem in the ship 412km was pirates indonesia I had a document and wanted to send me money and saves only hired this company I had to deposit 1.200 dollars to send them to me I have the documents he sent over the Internet
===== Translated from =====
quero o nome da pessoas frank cathal eval e a empresa fast service diplomatic security company da mumbai maharashtra india ele diz que trabalha da marinha da irlanda do norte dublin que tem um filha de 6 anos que estava indo para australia, teve um problema no moto do navio 412km estava os piratas do indonesia eu tinha um documentos e dinheiro queria enviar para mim guarda e contratou a esta empresa só que eu tinha que depositar 1,200 dollares para eles enviar para mim eu tenho os documentos que ele envio pela internet