An 83-year-old woman from Oldham, Greater Manchester, was defrauded of more than £20,000 by a romance scammer she met while playing Scrabble online. The fraudster posed as a 60-year-old American millionaire widower, promising her a second chance at love after her husband's death.
The scammer built a connection through the word game before moving the conversation to another platform, where the relationship intensified and requests for money began. On one occasion, he claimed his daughter needed urgent surgery to save her leg and that he lacked access to his bank card to pay the surgeon. Another time, he said he needed cash for bail after being arrested in Istanbul, Turkey, while returning from a business trip. He even sent a fake letter purportedly from the United Nations stating he was a prisoner.
The woman sent over £20,000 over 18 months before suspecting fraud. She confided in her brother, who reported the matter to Action Fraud following advice from Greater Manchester Police. The brother, who now has power of attorney, said: 'The scammers are very clever. They target things like online Scrabble because they know this is where they'll find older women with a bit of money.' He added that the scammer never used her name, only terms like 'Babe' or 'Sweetie', to avoid mistakes.
Detective Sergeant Stacey Shannon of GMP's economic crime unit said: 'Unfortunately, his story is far from unique. I hope his experience will help other victims realise what is happening to them and encourage them to make a report.' The brother urged caution: 'Everyone should be suspicious if someone they don't know contacts them online.'
