I am romance scammed
I am not sure how connecting with me can help you but …that’s fine.
It does because i have been offshore for a while now, Lonely and bored having no one to communicate with.
That’s how it started – April 14th – I was sad. It was a diversion.
Ok. You have to ask questions. Tell me about the Brent Charlie late life campaign & the Harvest Bible Chapel.
He sent me a long spiel about Brent Charlie late life campaign which had obviously been googled that did raise some questions as this is what he had on his CV as working on, but I let it go. He also wrote
I am James. Am originally from United state, but most of my life was in New Zealand and Russia. Because my mother is from New Zealand. I work with oil company’s as corrosion engineer. I specialize in treatment of corrosion both onshore and offshore oil drilling platform. I am here to look for a business that i will invest into when i saw your profile and pick interest in you. I will like to be your friend, sometimes i can be here in oil rig without having anyone to communicate with. Please could you tell me something about yourself. I will wait to read from you, thanks.
So I think, ok, I can be a penpal. I am good at writing.
Wow! Nice to read from you Hazel, I speak English and Russian, I worked in Sakhalin offshore Russia and I live in New York. Yes i have some friends but not many and most of them are offshore Engineers. Honestly reading from you makes me feel real good, are you married or single and live alone like me. Tell me about your life why are you debating on what to do at the end of life. Still searching for a good business to invest on. You can go to Asia if i may suggest because Africa is not safe. Read from you soon thanks so much I care
The ‘I care’ hooked me in
Wow! You are such a darling you are at your sixties but look 30, that’s cheating (smiles) I must wish you the best of your new age, enjoy it it’s all yours by grace. It’s nice to hear you volunteered for Africa that”s human thanks. Tell me more about your experience in Africa. How long were you at Sri Lanka and what was your experience in there. When i saw that you are not in a relationship my heart leaps for joy saying could this be her?. How many children do you have. yes I do travel when am on holiday i love traveling. I’m 64 years young i love the age. thanks for the compliments. Yes my Mom is in New York my lovely daughter Sophia is a medical student at British Armed force school. Your looks caught my attention and your write up shows me that you are a virtuous woman. I was born in New Zealand. Can’t wait to read from you again. I care
See – it got cornier, but I still went with it although I had some reservations.
64? Really? Why are you still working? Please attach a more realistic, up to date photo of yourself.
Honestly reading from you gives me a very good hope for living, I must appreciate knowing you always for you are just like a light in my life i was like in a darkness before meeting you and you threw light into my path, I bless God for the opportunity given me to know you i feel blessed and I can see the love of humanity in you which is the love of God. Thank you so much. I was married for 10 years and i really enjoyed it because my wife was a woman with a golden heart before i lost her to the hand cold of death on a car accident may her gentle soul rest in perfect peace
I am giving him allowances for English not necessarily being his first language here.
Hello Dear Hazel, I told you i do visit the land in 2 or 3weeks time depending on my job. I work at Alaska. your current city is Brighton right? so I can know the time different. I will write you before calling you and that will be by weekend but please don’t mind my accent when you hear my voice some say I have Russian accent some say American some say New Zealand. Enjoy your holiday I care
Good day my love, I must apologize for the late reply the network was bad due to the waves, I took it as a challenge and worked harder so I can finish my contract. What i meant by self house is I bought a rest duplex in New York. I went to New Zealand last in 2017 …
Dear James It was nice to hear from you after a long gap. I am not quite sure how a man who supposedly works on a rig has a diplomatic passport, but never mind. You are not asking me for money. I am none the wiser as to what a rest duplex is. Is that a retirement home?
Dear James Why, when I know you get time off the rig have you never shown the slightest curiosity in whatsapping me? That’s very strange James.
Hello my Dearest Happy to read from you I was worried about you health I pray for your quick recovery. I pray the outcome of the interview will be a sweet one . My lovely Hazel, about our traveling you decide what we do thou I love traveling but your wish is my command. I’m really working hard to make sure I meet up on the date of our meeting. It’s fast approaching.
He tapped in beautifully to my love of travel.
Suddenly he looked Maouri. Turns out he is Maouri.
We were exchanging messages every day by this point. Even though a lot of it reads a bit naff and there were lots of religious quotes, I still quite enjoyed it. It was filling a gap in my life.
when I was growing up as a child my mom use tell me that all my dreams has always been towards engineer according to her I was always playing in that direction, to God be the glory for giving my parents especially my mom the wisdom to channel me to the right path. (my destiny) when I grew up and find myself in the field of engineer I was so excited. I count myself so blessed because I found myself on my desired life path to crown it all God gave me a wonderful woman as a wife. When I lost her to death my heart was broken and my love life was shattered then my job became my only source of joy. I prayed night and day seeking for a woman to fill the vacuum in my life then the good Lord that answers prayer brought you to clean my eyes,
My Dearest Hazel It’s always a pleasure to read from you, I know you are a hard working woman.I woke up this early morning Sunday 02:33 am to check on you and what a joy to see you have dropped a note for me thanks so much my day is really blessed. I pray for your quick recovery, sound health…..
Dear James I read through all our messages last night because I thought I must be beginning to repeat myself. I gave you my phone number so you could WhatsApp me and you haven’t. On 18th April you said it would be about a month and it is now 18th May so is it soon?
James – bible quotes are not addressing my concern about scamming. Convince me. Can you imagine how my family / friends react when I tell them about you? Be real. How many women did you try to contact on LinkedIn before I responded? Of course I want to believe it is God’s plan but I am 60 years old and realistic about life. I think you need to WhatsApp now – horrid voice or not.
We are now May 30th
Hazel my love How are you, I see you love tattoos I’m sorry I don’t have it. Dear tell me why should I scam you, I got confused when I read it and to be honest I was upset but I didn’t allow it to wear me out that’s the reason I didn’t talk about it. I did myself a favour by letting it go as if nothing happened so it won’t spoil my day and here you bring it back again. Dear I understand how you feel about what will be the reaction of your family and friends but does it really matter? we have our lives to live and note we humans have different understandings. If you think we are being crazy? then note if is not crazy then is not love, Before I met you I spoke with one woman from Florida but she told me she was in a serious relationship and remember I asked you if you were single or married from the beginning. I will try and make it more real but it has not been easy for me here, if you are mindful of my time you will notice I do write you early the morning which is not convenience for me but I have to do that because I’m searching for something very important to me. I will call or whatsApp you soon. I promise to make it up to you. Please kindly tell me why you are not comfortable with me anymore, Am really bothered about the scamming stuff. I wish you could have the same feelings I have for you. I Care
June 14th
My dear the pneumatic rock drill broke down completely and I’m stressful about it because it is one of the major tools I need at the moment.
June 15th
my only concern at the moment is how to get another pneumatic rock drill to enable me run-through these work and get out of these place as soon as possible. Dear I am feeling lonely also I have been in these insular for so long and I’m tired of staying here I want to be with you. I think of you often. Yes I know is 9 weeks but I feel like we have known each other for 9 years already.
I can’t understand why they haven’t flown in another drill bit by now unless they are too big for helicopters and you are waiting for a boat. Don’t they have spares? It seems strange the company would not be concerned about losing money,
Dear the drill is big but not too big for helicopter, the issue here is I am a contractor that means I work with my personal tools, I have different kinds of tools so I approach every contract according to it’s demand. And I can’t access my account from these location the last time I tried such my account was blocked which took me time to unblock it.
Blah …blah…blah …My love what is your suggestion about the cargo bill what can we do I’m trapped at the moment
My dearest James It all read so soothingly, lovingly, thoughtfully until the last sentence. Do you not think that a ‘wise and matured’ man who can talk in such a blasé fashion of buying properties would not have a financial adviser; bought his beloved daughter a place outright, ensure she had sufficient money in the bank in case anything happened to him so she would have no financial worries until probate came through? I will never send you money. Ask your Mum, Sophia, your friends, any of a myriad of people who know your personal email, your phone number, went to your wife’s funeral; not someone who would not recognise you in the street. Much love – Hazel xx
It went on a little bit longer than that, but not much. The point when common sense truly took the greater hold on me was when I googled ‘romance scammers’ and found this in news.com.au from 2012.
‘Another woman, who wanted to be known only as Anne, was wooed by a man she met on Facebook in late 2012. She didn’t lose any money but says the emotional fallout was devastating.
“He seemed really nice,” Anne says. “He said he was a widower working on an oil rig. His wife had died in a car crash and he had one daughter….. he told her he was an American citizen of German and Nigerian parents. He told her he wanted to move to Australia with his daughter to be with Anne. She was groomed for two months then the emotional manipulation to send money began……he needed money for x but couldn’t get access to his funds because he was on the oil rig.
It was the aha moment that made me realise I had to stop. He started phoning and threatening her but she ignored his calls and eventually he stopped. That hasn’t happened to me yet.
I wonder if for scammers there is a sad moment when it all blows up? James had what I now see as ‘set pieces’, but he still had to engage with me and tailor make his responses fit. A relationship developed between us. We created a future life that was exciting on paper. I wonder what future life he/she will really have.
Do I forgive him/her? Yes. I have to take responsibility for going along with it. It diverted me when I was sad.
.