Teacher loses £11,000 in web scam
Updated on 02 September 2008
A teacher who thought she was being romanced on the internet fell victim to an international scam that cost her nearly £11,000.
Deborah Staveley, 42, first made contact with the conman on a dating website a month ago, Durham Police said.
The man, calling himself John Thomas, said he was working as an architect in the Republic of Benin - but within a couple of weeks he started asking for money to pay medical bills for himself and his daughter, who was suffering from malaria. He then invented a story of his daughter's kidnap and his desperation to pay ransom demands before she was killed.
Miss Staveley, from Sherburn Village, Co Durham, started sending him thousands and gave him her bank details when he said his credit cards were not being accepted.
The man - who police said was likely to be a Nigerian gangster based in Lagos - then began to use her bank account as a clearing house for large sums of cash. Police believe this money had also been "scammed" from other victims.
Miss Staveley admits she was "naive" at first, but said she became suspicious as his demands for cash grew and money began being channelled through her bank account.
"I had no reason to believe that money he sent me was fraudulent but now my bank has frozen my account. I can't pay my bills or mortgage," she said. "Before I knew where I was I was sucked in. It is my own stupid fault and I just feel sick. I've had lots of sleepless nights and haven't eaten properly."
Detective Inspector Geoff Smith, head of Durham Police's economic crime unit, said Miss Staveley's story was "a grim warning to others to take special care" on internet dating sites.
"Deborah has lost a lot of money but learned a valuable lesson. A lot of things on the internet are not what they appear to be and people should think very carefully about revealing their personal details to strangers."
He said the force was continuing to investigate the scam, but it could be "difficult to complete" if the trail led back to Lagos.
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