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Plusieurs femmes canadiennes à la recherche de l'amour (et du mariage) se sont faites piégées par des escrocs nigérians qui leur promettaient le mariage, tout en leur demandant de leur envoyer de l'argent pour diverses fausses raisons.
Charmées par les promesses de mariage et séduites par la galanterie des faux Casanovas nigérians qui se présentaient comme des artistes ou hommes d'affaires, ces femmes naïves leur ont envoyé près de 300 000 dollars.
Ces femmes ont à l'évidence oublié d'apprendre à utiliser l'internet pour éviter les pièges des escrocs.
Women 'Romanced' Out of $300K in Internet Dating Hoax
An Edmonton woman went public yesterday about being caught in an online dating scam that has cost local women almost $300,000.
The middle-aged divorcee asked that her name be kept secret, but said she hopes she can prevent other women from the predators that stole "a lot" of her money - and her dignity.
Weeping while recalling a final message to her Casanova crook, she said, "how could you do this to me? Take away my money, my self-esteem. They took my life, basically."
Det. Mark Johnson said the woman was not alone in getting duped by the same elaborate scam.
He said several women have succumbed to the charms of the suspected Nigerian con artists.
The scam victim described an elaborate romance hoax that spanned months and sunk so low as to bilk money for a phony dead son's funeral.
The woman was sent a text message last September by a man about 10 years younger than her, she said.
It was her first shot at dating online after her divorce about a year ago.
"They said, 'you know, you're a very pretty lady, I like your profile,' " said the victim. "You feel very flattered."
The compliments and commitment kept coming from the false flame, who posed as a U.S. businessman who travelled to Nigeria to buy antiques.
It fed what the woman described as an addiction to affection.
"You can't wait to get home from work, to message them," said the victim. "They're not like your partner in life - they're always there. And it's always good things (they say), right? It's never bad stuff. It's what everybody wants to hear."
The con artist promised multiple times - over e-mail, instant messages and phone calls - that he would fly to Canada and marry the victim.
But once the emotional hook was set, the requests for money flooded in - for flights and for medical aid.
On a feigned trip to Nigeria, the crook told the victim his son was in the hospital and he needed money for three surgeries.
"I had so many friends tell me, 'don't send money,' " she said. "But you love that person, you believe what they say. You don't want to stop."
And the scam continued - for about five months.
The victim said she sent money multiple times - and even to multiple people. Other scammers jumped in on the twisted storyline, one promising he could get her help from police in Nigeria.
The victim told an Edmonton cop friend about the relationship, but she continued giving before she finally made the call to detectives, she said.
"You think you're smarter than (the crooks), but you're not. It can happen to anyone," she said.
Johnson said Edmonton police would have to rely on Nigerian police to find and arrest the crooks.
He said he has little confidence victims will ever get their money back due to a patchy foreign court system.
source : Edmonton Sun
Charmées par les promesses de mariage et séduites par la galanterie des faux Casanovas nigérians qui se présentaient comme des artistes ou hommes d'affaires, ces femmes naïves leur ont envoyé près de 300 000 dollars.
Ces femmes ont à l'évidence oublié d'apprendre à utiliser l'internet pour éviter les pièges des escrocs.
Women 'Romanced' Out of $300K in Internet Dating Hoax
An Edmonton woman went public yesterday about being caught in an online dating scam that has cost local women almost $300,000.
The middle-aged divorcee asked that her name be kept secret, but said she hopes she can prevent other women from the predators that stole "a lot" of her money - and her dignity.
Weeping while recalling a final message to her Casanova crook, she said, "how could you do this to me? Take away my money, my self-esteem. They took my life, basically."
Det. Mark Johnson said the woman was not alone in getting duped by the same elaborate scam.
He said several women have succumbed to the charms of the suspected Nigerian con artists.
The scam victim described an elaborate romance hoax that spanned months and sunk so low as to bilk money for a phony dead son's funeral.
The woman was sent a text message last September by a man about 10 years younger than her, she said.
It was her first shot at dating online after her divorce about a year ago.
"They said, 'you know, you're a very pretty lady, I like your profile,' " said the victim. "You feel very flattered."
The compliments and commitment kept coming from the false flame, who posed as a U.S. businessman who travelled to Nigeria to buy antiques.
It fed what the woman described as an addiction to affection.
"You can't wait to get home from work, to message them," said the victim. "They're not like your partner in life - they're always there. And it's always good things (they say), right? It's never bad stuff. It's what everybody wants to hear."
The con artist promised multiple times - over e-mail, instant messages and phone calls - that he would fly to Canada and marry the victim.
But once the emotional hook was set, the requests for money flooded in - for flights and for medical aid.
On a feigned trip to Nigeria, the crook told the victim his son was in the hospital and he needed money for three surgeries.
"I had so many friends tell me, 'don't send money,' " she said. "But you love that person, you believe what they say. You don't want to stop."
And the scam continued - for about five months.
The victim said she sent money multiple times - and even to multiple people. Other scammers jumped in on the twisted storyline, one promising he could get her help from police in Nigeria.
The victim told an Edmonton cop friend about the relationship, but she continued giving before she finally made the call to detectives, she said.
"You think you're smarter than (the crooks), but you're not. It can happen to anyone," she said.
Johnson said Edmonton police would have to rely on Nigerian police to find and arrest the crooks.
He said he has little confidence victims will ever get their money back due to a patchy foreign court system.
source : Edmonton Sun
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