Victim’s story
From: **** Sent: Monday, January 08, 2018 11:36 AM To: Rod Hobbs <rod@rodhobbs.com> Subject: MY STORY I have never told my story anywhere else, It started in 2014 and lasted for two and a half years. I was originally contacted on Facebook. The person had a profile with your photos (who went around the world thanks to the scammers). I did not know anything about this type of scam. I thought Facebook profiles were strictly personal. The man who contacted me had an ideal profile to catch lonely hearts … a widower, an independent contractor and businessman who travels a lot and an adorable son named Perry. The person said that he lived in Cardiff and called me with a phone number that matched. A month of pleasant and very courteous exchange, then a trip to India and here is the tragedy that happens: an assault and stolen documents and all of his money. He needed help and sent an SOS for to help. This time they called me from India with a number matching India. At first, I am asked for small amounts of money and as I decide to help, I am thanked warmly. The contact is very nice, Nelson promises to pay me back upon his return to Cardiff. I have very courteous messages with soft words every day, phone calls, pictures (always of you) and your son. Then, I am contacted to announce that I must have a package with beautiful gifts of value to thank me. There is a Fedex messenger who seeks to come and deliver this famous package. I was on vacation in my home country and the messenger calls me very stressed that it is blocked at the customs in my country. He is very polite, introduces himself with a foreign name and speaks in English. In the meantime, I get full messages from my FB correspondent with the request to pay the customs fee via FedEx. I call Customs, which confirms they need to pay a tax on valuable parcels. The messenger calls me more and more stressed several times a day, I have calls and messages from my FB friend who is waiting for the delivery of this package with impatience and I am under significant pressure. I forget that I’m on vacation because I would like to solve the problem … I’m looking for savings and I send the requested fee. Except that my vacation ends and I return without parcels. Finally, it is my “benefactor” (according to his message) which is delivered. He sends me a paper on which he tells me he will make a transfer from his account in India. He asks me to calculate the amount he owes me. Shortly after, a new person calls me by posing as bank branch manager of The Bank of India. He had the message to proceed with the creation of an account in my name and make a transfer. I am sent a certificate with the logo of the Bank. I am given numbers of my account and when I go on the site of the Bank with the coordinates received, I see my account to be displayed with a nice sum on it. And there I walked, everything seemed “correct”. I have sent sums whose amount I did not calculate, I do not want to know the amount. Does trust come at a price? “Nelson” called me by making promises to come see me, I had to book a hotel (5 stars!). Then he missed the plane (I had the scanned plane ticket) with the schedules and the necessary information. I waited with hope to finally see the Mystery Man who knew how to reassure me, who gives me the feeling to understand me … Everything seemed to stick but it was me who was under a sentimental grip, I saw the facts quite convincing. He sent me songs that I loved, sweet words … comforting messages when I went wrong: all the ingredients of a beautiful story of a romantic crook! But each time there are complications, new scenarios with documents to provide, taxes to pay. I even received a key by a registered letter from London. She had to open a safe with precious objects and papers … I was in a tale of Thousand and One Nights! I could give a lot more details that brought me on the way to a slow and safe descent to the gates of hell…To the point that I did not know how to stop because I was under a mental manipulation and I lived between the dream and the reality. It was a very difficult time for me and as if the presence of this person brought me sentimental comfort. Paid at the price of my trust, naïveté, illusions … Call it what you want. I find it too sad to live in a world based on money, false appearances, false feelings, and words! An easy victim! It lasted more than two years. I was under emotional pressure, I needed comfort so much and curiously I felt I was understood, it was a form of contact that had become so important to me in a time of great loneliness. I was trapped and I fell into the trap … After a long silence, the person (Nelson) called me. He wrote me again a year ago to confess that he was in fact still in love with me and to tell me about his feelings towards me. He said he felt guilty and he also had accomplices and that he would repair the financial damage as soon as he could. Except that I never had a single cent in return. I am so sorry that your site did not exist yet !!! I lost a lot of time, energy, emotions and I had unprecedented financial difficulties. But the worst part is taking a part of my soul and burning my heart with a hot iron. If I contact you it is also that I am happy to know that you are one real person and that all your pictures reflect one real personality, not one imagined man. I know that you are also a victim in one way or another because it has hurt your personal and public relations. I know that it is emotional wear to justify you constantly in front of the victims of this type of scam, it takes time to answer all the people who write to you. I see that the network of crooks is very powerful, it’s like the dragon of seven heads that repel as soon as they are cut. This story marked me deeply and has made me suffer. I wrote all this now because I watched your video (one very good idea!), I read new stories from several people from different continents. It was very important for me to share my story on your site, because tell its story and get “under the eye of the Internet” it’s not so easy, but it’s important to talk about it … if at least it could help someone avoid being trapped. Thank you for reading!Trackback from your site.
