Sadly, scams are rife, and many criminals will attempt to play on people’s emotions to make them part with their hard-earned cash. This was the case for Mark*, who didn’t realise he had been reeled into a scam until it was too late – with saddening consequences.
Mark had set up a profile on a dating app in the hopes of finding love, but scammers were on the prowl, looking for their next victim.
While using the app, Mark was contacted by a man, and they quickly struck up a conversation.
Soon enough, the pair moved from the dating website to communicating via phone, but this was only the start of a nightmare.
Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, Mark said: “He was overly affectionate.
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“He told me I needed to transfer money to vouchers and he would collect them.”
The scammer told Mark only a small investment of £50 would be needed to create a potentially huge return, and with the prospect of making money it seemed like a no brainer.
Once Mark had sent £50 in vouchers, the man then told him there had been an error with the transaction, and he would need to send another £50.
But after this transaction, Mark’s suspicions became aroused when the man continued to ask for more vouchers.
He realised he had been scammed when he refused to send more vouchers, and the man became “not so pleasant”.
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Mark added: “I felt really ashamed. I set out to make…
