A WINDSOR woman realised she was being scammed by her partner of ten years after she sent him £70,000 for ‘emergency’ help.
The romance scam started in 2010 when the woman met the man, who lives in Georgia, on social media.
According to police, the man was known to travel to Belarus and Turkey, and it was in the latter that the duo first met in 2012.
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In 2013, he started to ask for financial help and the woman agreed to dip into her savings to assist him.
Sixteen bank transfers were made in 2016 with more coming a year later and since May 2018, the man has asked for money on a regular basis.
He claimed he needed the money for legal fees, fines, health emergencies and other serious matters.
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The woman estimates she transferred between £65,000 and £70,000 between May 2018 and April 2019.
After ten years of knowing the man, the woman has now reported him to police after realising “she has been the victim of a long-term scam”.
She is now trying to recover the money.
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Jeffrey Pick, Police, Community Engagement & Resilience Officer, Windsor & Maidenhead, said: “Please do not let this be you.
“If you form an online relationship with someone abroad – block them, the minute they ask for money!”
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