Man loses £16,000 in internet dating scams
/v3-uk/news/1987868/man-loses-gbp16-internet-dating-scams
19 Apr 2007, Iain Thomson , V3
A man has lost £16,000 in two internet dating scams after sending money overseas to girls who failed to turn up.
David Hodgkinson, from Margate in Kent, advertised his profile on a variety of internet dating sites and was approached by a Russian woman called 'Natalia'.
Hodgkinson sent the woman £10,000 so that she could obtain a visa and purchase a ticket to fly over and meet him in the UK.
After being given a variety of arrival dates he went to Heathrow to meet her four times but she never arrived.
"I feel no ill in my heart. I did really love her," Hodgkinson told the BBC.
Hodgkinson then tried a Christian dating site and stared chatting with a woman from Senegal. He sent her £6,000 but again she failed to turn up.
Hodgkinson borrowed money from his elderly mother and remortgaged his home to pay for the two girls. His mother is now taking out a loan to clear his debts.
"I did tell him off about keeping going to Heathrow," she said. "In my heart I knew they wouldn't ever turn up. But he never listened."
Do you agree?
Foolish
A simple bit of investigation by him would have uncovered this scam. It took more energy to send the money than to find out how much a plane costs and that you dont send a woman you never met before money for a visa.
Posted by Chris, 21 Apr 2007
£16.000 lost
What a richard head,can't blame the girls for duping such 'unwise' blokes.
Posted by foyboy, 20 Apr 2007
love is blind
yeah but these folks were in it for emotional reasons, with the hope of finding someone to love, love is sometimes truly blind!
Posted by rozelle seifert, 25 Apr 2007
I bet
that the "lonely heart" is about fifty something, and the girls - twenty something.
And what is the cost if these tickets, one can go around the world on this sum.
Posted by lo, 29 May 2007
Drainage
Its not about nothing of you all are talkn about...Its about America and those sites Protecting US currency is why another reason for it to be so low !
If the mother was so smart...why is her son buyn a whole village visas ???
Posted by Sukr4luv2, 09 Mar 2008