A European woman was subjected to emotional fraud by a person skilled in this type of crime, who managed to drain all her savings and force her to borrow to spend on him, after he lured her from a dating site and trapped her in his net with flirtation and gifts.
During the activities of the Gulf International Information Security Exhibition and Conference (GISEC Global 2024), which concluded its activities the day before yesterday, the victim herself shared her story, which was turned into a “movie” on a famous platform, and said that only about 7% of the victims of this type of fraud report it to the authorities. The competent police and judicial officers, for fear of shame and feeling ashamed.
She explained that the story began when she met a man through a famous dating site, and they chatted, and the matter developed between them into mutual admiration until he invited her to meet him in a European country, and as soon as she saw him, she felt that he was the right person for her.
She added that their meetings continued, and they remained together for 10 months, which was the best in her life, as he showered her with “romantic gifts,” as she put it.
She indicated that they exchanged secrets and personal details, and he told her that his father is one of the largest diamond merchants in the world and works with him in this field, and he made her believe that it was a dangerous activity that would attract many enemies.
The victim continued that after that, their conditions suddenly turned upside down, as he spoke to her on the phone while he was in a state of fear, and told her that he had major problems at work, and there were those who were tracking him and threatening his life, and if they reached him, they would search for her after that, and he needed a shelter to live in temporarily. And to a bank card that was not registered in his name so that it would be difficult to trace it, so she received him at her home and gave him her card.
She reported that she was shocked by the amount of her spending, as he depleted all of her savings within days, with a promise that he would return them to her quickly as soon as the situation stabilized. He even pushed her to obtain a personal loan and told her that it was a matter of time and things would change, but her life went from bad to worse, after he took control of her. About 500 thousand dirhams.
She said that he continued to pressure and intimidate her until he asked her to sell her house and car, because they needed money, which doubled her fears, because this was all she had left, pointing out that she suffered from panic attacks, anxiety, and depression, and needed to see a psychiatrist.
She added that he left her after he realized that she had become completely bankrupt, and he contacted her after a while from another country, and there she visited him and saw that he was distracted and did not give her any answers about their relationship or the money he had taken from her, and she realized when she said goodbye to him this time that their relationship was over.
She stated that she gradually began to recover from the effects of the shock, and realized that she had not noticed many holes in his story with her, so she searched for information about him on the Internet according to the name by which she knew him, but did not find any information about him, so she became hysterical after she realized that she was the victim of a fraud. Systematized for many months.
She reported that she conducted research using his photo, and the result she feared emerged, as she found press reports of other women who had been deceived in the same way.
The victim indicated that she had suffered a nervous breakdown, and at first she felt ashamed to share her story with others, but she held herself together and decided to deal strongly with the situation and take revenge on him, and she informed the competent authorities, until he was arrested in Greece, but on charges of using forged passports. He was extradited to his country, but he has not yet been prosecuted for his crimes against his female victims.
She stressed that victims of emotional fraud must receive care and support, like victims of other crimes, because the percentage of those who report the crimes they have been exposed to is shameful, and is due to their feelings of fear, embarrassment, and shame.
. The “fraudster” seized about 500 thousand dirhams from the woman.
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