A British woman in her sixties has shared a heartbreaking story of how she was conned out of £200,000 in a romance scam by a fraudster based in Nigeria, who posed as a Texas-based oil consultant over a period of two and a half years.
Elizabeth, who lives in rural England and asked that her real name not be used, revealed she was manipulated into handing over her life savings, taking out a loan, and even remortgaging her home to support the fake crisis stories created by the scammer.
The elaborate deception began in March 2022, after she engaged with a man on a Facebook group dedicated to dogs.
The scammer gradually won her trust and affection through a steady stream of affectionate messages and feigned emotional connection.
I got talking to one of the members who asked if we could message each other outside the group on Skype, she said.
The man claimed to be a divorced oil industry consultant from Texas with a boxer dog and a daughter, but he was, in fact, operating out of Nigeria using stolen photos of a real person to catfish Elizabeth. His tactics included promises of repayment and even sending a fake cheque worth $1.832 million.
Elizabeth described how the scammer gained her sympathy through fabricated personal tragedies—including the death of a newborn child and serious illness—while flooding her inbox daily with photos, recipes, and messages of love.
We started talking about food so he would send recipes and photos of what he was eating, she recalled. “Each day he’d be messaging asking how I was and how my night had been.
By mid-2022, the scammer intensified his psychological grip, sending her images of flowers and professing deep feelings.
The scammer appeared to be so kind and supportive – and the empathy he showed was unbelievable, she said.
Despite a few red flags—such as a suspicious Nigerian college listed on his Facebook profile and a distinct accent during a Skype call—Elizabeth remained emotionally invested.
Because in my brain I had thought he was Texan and American I just assumed that was what he sounded like – which is mad with hindsight, she added.
In late 2022, the scammer began soliciting money, initially requesting £1,500 in iTunes gift cards for his daughter, and later larger sums for a supposed oil rig project.
Elizabeth tried to send £10,000 through her bank, but the transaction was blocked by the fraud department. The scammer then convinced her to use PayPal instead.
He eventually got the money and said he was eternally grateful.
Her vulnerability deepened after the loss of a relative in early 2023. The scammer exploited the moment to further manipulate her emotions.
I was in love with an image of someone who had been tailored to my specific needs. So I was totally brainwashed.
Elizabeth pawned her late mother’s jewellery and sent more funds, eventually remortgaging her home.
In October 2023, the fraudster sent a forged cheque to solidify the illusion.
My eldest Googled the address and saw it was a funeral home – it was also covered with biblical quotes.
The turning point came in August 2024, when one of her sons discovered financial documents hidden in her bedroom.
He and his brother staged an intervention that finally broke the illusion.
They asked ‘what is this, what has gone on’ but I was very defensive initially.
Elizabeth eventually contacted Action Fraud, the UK’s cyber-crime reporting centre, and with the help of her sons, a dedicated caseworker, and the charity Victim Support, she managed to recover two-thirds of the lost funds from her bank.
However, police told her the scammer could not be prosecuted as he resided outside the UK.
Reflecting on the experience, she offered a heartfelt message to others.
You reflect on it and you can’t believe it was all a lie. I can’t believe that I did what I did. But if you’re not in that situation you won’t be able to relate to. If you haven’t walked my path then you can’t judge.
If my story helps just one person, then it would have been worth it.
