The former RAF officer appeared on the BBC’s For Love or Money earlier today where presenters revealed his ‘girlfriend’ was indeed a scammer. Online romance scams have skyrocketed during the pandemic with fraudsters becoming more convincing and sophisticated every day.
Speaking on the programme, Joe said “My wife had an operation and suddenly passed away in the hospital.
“I had no intentions of seeking another partner but when this lady from Ghana decided to get in touch with me saying she saw my profile on Facebook we struck up a friendship.
“She was desperate to come here, move into the house and marry me.
“The money that I’ve spent is substantial – she expects it all the time.”
READ MORE: Direct debit change warning: Britons could save ‘few hundred pounds’
Jennifer told Joe she was a nurse and only asked for small amounts of money to begin with.
After three months she told him she would fly over to Scotland to be with him, which is also when bigger demands for money started to flood in.
Finding out she was indeed a scammer, Joe said: “Hurtful but at the same time it gave me the full answers that I was looking for.
“Even with the revelations they were coming up with I was still ‘mmm’ as I’ve been brought up to give people the benefit of the doubt – but not anymore.”
“They are actually getting rid of about four times as many fake profiles than before.
“We’re talking about billions of fake profiles that are created every year.”
Express.co.uk has contacted Facebook but is still waiting for comment.
People can report a scam to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.
For Love or Money is available on BBC iPlayer.
