Romance scam victim UK shares how she lost £200,000 to a Nigerian fraudster posing as a Texan oil consultant. Her story offers an emotional warning to others

Romance scam victim UK has shared her traumatic experience after losing more than £200,000 to a fraudster she believed to be a Texas-based oil consultant.

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The con, which spanned two and a half years, left the woman—known only as Elizabeth—emotionally and financially devastated.

Elizabeth, now in her sixties, lives alone in rural England. She met the man on a Facebook group dedicated to dogs in March 2022. He struck up a friendly conversation that soon moved to Skype.

From there, a steady stream of daily messages began to form what she believed was a genuine emotional bond.

The scammer claimed to be a divorced oil consultant from Texas. He said he had a daughter and a boxer dog. In reality, he was operating from Nigeria, using stolen photos to build his fictional identity.

“I got talking to one of the members who asked if we could message each other outside the group on Skype,” she said. That innocent step marked the start of a calculated deception.

Over the months, he sent affectionate messages, photos, and even recipes. Elizabeth said they spoke about everything from food to family, deepening their connection. “Each day he’d be messaging asking how I was and how my night had been,” she recalled.

By mid-2022, he began professing his love. Flowers, good morning texts, and tender words became routine. Despite a few warning signs, including an unusual Nigerian accent and a suspicious college on his Facebook profile, she remained emotionally committed.

“Because in my brain I had thought he was Texan and American I just assumed that was what he sounded like – which is mad with hindsight,” she admitted.

The financial demands started subtly—with requests for iTunes gift cards. They quickly escalated to large sums supposedly meant for an oil rig project.

At one point, Elizabeth tried to send £10,000 through her bank, but the fraud department blocked it. Undeterred, the scammer persuaded her to use PayPal instead.

The emotional manipulation intensified following the death of a close relative. Vulnerable and grieving, Elizabeth sent more money. She sold personal items, including her late mother’s jewellery, and even remortgaged her house.

In October 2023, the fraudster sent a counterfeit cheque worth \$1.832 million to keep the illusion alive. Her eldest son became suspicious and Googled the address it came from. “It was a funeral home – it was also covered with biblical quotes,” she explained.

The truth finally came to light in August 2024, when her sons found hidden financial documents. They confronted her. At first, she resisted, refusing to believe she had been scammed. “They asked ‘what is this, what has gone on’ but I was very defensive initially,” she said.

Eventually, Elizabeth reported the case to Action Fraud and worked with a dedicated caseworker from Victim Support.

With their help, and her bank’s cooperation, she managed to recover nearly two-thirds of the lost funds. Still, police informed her the scammer could not be prosecuted because he operated from outside the UK.

Reflecting on the entire ordeal, she said: “I was in love with an image of someone who had been tailored to my specific needs. So I was totally brainwashed.”

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She hopes that sharing her experience might spare someone else the same pain. “If my story helps just one person, then it would have been worth it.”