DEAR DEIDRE: ALTHOUGH my elderly dad is convinced he has met the perfect woman online, I’m sure he’s being scammed.
Dad is 75. He was widowed when my mum died six years ago.
He seemed lonely and depressed, so I encouraged him to get out and socialise again.
Soon after, he told me he had met a beautiful younger woman online.
Alarm bells rang when he said she was 29 and in the photos he showed us, she was stunning.
Dad said she was in the Philippines but that they messaged every day.
About 18 months ago, Dad said she was on her way to visit him in the UK.
He cleaned his house from top to bottom and bought her roses and chocolates.
She never arrived.
According to Dad, she is still travelling. Apparently, she keeps running into problems at different airports.
Currently, she is stranded in Romania. Every time she gets stuck, he sends her money to buy a new visa or cover her legal bills.
He initially refused to say how much he’d spent. Then I spotted a final demand for his electricity, and he admitted he has sent her all his savings (£35,000) and is now in the process of releasing equity out of his house.
No matter how often I warn him he’s being scammed, he won’t hear it.
I copied her photo and looked her up online. The photo she’s using belongs to a completely different person.
I am so worried about my dad. He is a very stubborn man and simply refuses to believe that this is fake.
DEIDRE SAYS: Your dad is refusing to accept he has been scammed because he hates the idea of feeling lonely and unloved again. Even a fake girlfriend is better than none.
My support pack Love Online explains the dangers of internet romance fraud, including all the warning signs. Please ask your father to read it.
Regarding the money he has already sent, I suggest you both go and talk to his bank together.
There might be a chance they would refund it, but even if they don’t, the bank must be made aware of this fraudster’s account details.
Your father could be just one of many victims.
You can also take a look at actionfraud.police.uk for advice on dating fraud.
If you can send him that link and encourage him to read it, he might realise he is being tricked and cut off contact with this person.
Get in touch with the Dear Deidre team
Every problem gets a personal reply from one of our trained counsellors.
Fill out and submit our easy-to-use and confidential form and the Dear Deidre team will get back to you.
You can also send a private message on the DearDeidreOfficial Facebook page or email us at:
deardeidre@the-sun.co.uk
