Romance scam costs Perth widow thousands

An elderly woman opens up about her horrific experience with a con artist and the terrifying moment she realised she had been scammed.

Perth widow Maggie admitted she lost tens of thousands of dollars last year to a criminal using the false name ‘Brian’.

This week she bravely came forward to warn Australians to be careful about trusting people they meet online, as part of Scam Awareness Week.

Maggie had just moved to Australia from South Africa after the death of her husband and, desperate for companionship, she turned to online dating.

In July 2023, she received her first email from Brian and was surprised by his immediate ‘love’ for her. She now recognizes this as a ‘warning sign’.

“He showered me with love and compliments, and soon started calling me ‘honey’ and ‘darling,’” she said.

Brian initially held off when Maggie told him she was in a relationship, but five months later he got back in touch.

He claimed to be a geological engineer from Sydney who worked on a drilling platform in the North Sea off Scotland, 7News reported.

To support his story, he showed Maggie his contract, passport and ID, all of which had been created using AI and deepfake technology.

Maggie had regular video calls with Brian, and while the calls were often scrambled and pre-planned, it gave her peace of mind that she wasn’t being scammed.

Brian initially said he would return to Australia soon, but a power outage on the rig meant he had to financially replace the machinery.

He promised to pay Maggie back with interest, but the turn in their relationship raised alarm bells for her children.

Still, Maggie lent him the money and sent him even more money when he had to pay the high shipping costs for the parts that had to be shipped from America.

“Every time it was something different. He started blaming me for taking too long to send the money,” she recalled.

Brian’s web of lies was finally unraveled during a video call with Maggie.

The scammer used deepfake technology to look identical to the fake photos he had emailed her.

However, during the conversation his filter broke, revealing his true identity.

The scammer ‘was sitting in a closet, covered with a blanket, but in such a way that I could see his face and his mouth’.

Brian (pictured) claimed to be a geological engineer from Sydney who worked on a drilling platform in the North Sea off Scotland

The scammer immediately disconnected the call, leaving Maggie with the horrible thought that she had been scammed.

“The impact this experience has had on me, both emotionally and psychologically, has been devastating,” she said.

“I’ve been through the darkest days of my life. How could I be so blind?”

Maggie is now completely dependent on her children after being scammed out of thousands of dollars.

“Scammers get away with a trail of broken hearts, shattered dreams, empty promises and bank accounts that go undetected,” she said.

West Australians alone have lost $2.9 million to 26 romance scams this year, with the total for 2023 being $3.7 million.

Western Australia’s Trade Minister Sue Ellery described scammers as “the very worst”, representing the worst of humanity.

In Western Australia alone, $2.9 million has been lost this year to 26 reported romance scams (stock image)

“Their victims lose thousands, sometimes even hundreds of thousands of dollars, are left feeling emotionally devastated and suffering from the financial loss,” she said.

“Our advice is to be extremely vigilant and careful.”

Australians who believe they have been scammed are urged to report it to Scamwatch.

The government agency is committed to stopping scams, spreading warnings and providing support.