Scammers often use romance as a method to dupe unsuspecting Britons out of money.This was the case for Rachel, 50, from Walsall, who joined a dating website on New Year’s Eve 2020, after a divorce in 2018.
It was here she met a man claiming to be called ‘Barrio’, a 54-year-old architect who lived in Coventry for a number of years, after being born in Spain – and who was looking after a 17-year-old daughter, ‘Katie’.
However, the photos being used by the man claiming to be ‘Barrio’, were in fact of a totally innocent party – and it was here where the scam began.
The pair hit it off and soon began talking away from the dating app, with the conversation turning to work.
Rachel told the BBC’s For Love or Money: “He explained he’d been tendering for a contract for a few months, everything was really slow during COVID-19.
“He felt I was his lucky charm as all of a sudden he’d been invited for an interview in Cardiff. I wished him luck, he went to Cardiff, and he messaged me to tell me he’d been so lucky and had been awarded the contract in Ukraine.”
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With ‘Barrio’ flying to Ukraine in 2021, the pair made plans to meet up in three weeks, however, his project hit a snag when there was a supposed issue with tax.
‘Barrio’ said his equipment had been seized, and his work site closed until he could pay a bill of £57,500 and he asked Rachel to help, promising she could trust…
