He faked family emergencies, illness, and even the death of a newborn baby to extort money.
A British woman in her sixties has revealed how she was conned out of £200,000 by a Nigerian romance scammer she met on Facebook.
Elizabeth, who asked to withhold her full name, shared that the scammer posed as a Texan oil consultant and “love-bombed” her daily for over two years, using fake photos and elaborate lies.
“I can’t believe I did what I did,” she said. “But if you haven’t walked my path, then you can’t judge.”
The fraudster, operating from Nigeria, manipulated Elizabeth into handing over her life savings, remortgaging her home, and even pawning her late mother’s jewellery.
He faked family emergencies, illness, and even the death of a newborn baby to extort money.
She was finally rescued after her sons discovered suspicious documents and staged an intervention.
The man sent a fake $1.832 million cheque to maintain the lie. Elizabeth later contacted Action Fraud and police. Though the scammer couldn’t be prosecuted, her bank refunded two-thirds of her losses.
The case underscores growing concerns over romance scams linked to Nigerian syndicates, some trained in so-called “hustle kingdoms.”
Elizabeth now urges others to stay vigilant: “You believe someone because you want to believe them.”