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A postie cheated out of more than £130,000 by Nigerian internet fraudsters posing as a beautiful model said he considered killing himself after the scam.
Lonely Shane Symington says his life has been ruined by the con-artists who, even as The News spoke to him yesterday, continued to call his mobile phone asking for more money.
The 32-year-old, who lives with his aunt and uncle, was bowled over when a woman, calling herself Angela Gates, started emailing photos of herself in a bikini to his MySpace webpage.
The pair quickly struck up a relationship over the internet but it was not long before 'Angela' began asking for money to pay her sick mother's medical bills in Nigeria.
Shane, from Stowe Road, Milton, handed over cash, sending between 500 and 1,200, at times on a daily basis.
Nine months and 65,000 into the scam she said she was coming to England to be with Shane but never showed up.
'I was devastated,' he said.
'It was Christmas and I thought she was going to come here and live with me.'
At this point another woman, calling herself Vivian Sparks, started emailing him.
She, too, claimed to have a sick mother whose hospital bills were mounting up and once again Shane agreed to help what he thought was a woman in need, handing over more than 15,000.
In March 2008 – a year after the tricksters had first approached Shane – he went to the police who told him it was a scam. Despite their advice, he carried on emailing Vivian, and when someone claiming to be from the FBI contacted him, offering to get his money back if he paid them expenses, he agreed, sending over at least 15,000.
The rest of the money went to various people claiming to be lawyers in Nigeria who could help him.
Police say all the money – from loans, credit cards and inheritance – has gone to one gang who exploited Shane's good nature.
Shane, a postal worker based in Portsmouth, said: 'I am devastated. It's difficult to get up in the mornings.
'I don't think I will be able to trust people again. It will be very, very hard to have a relationship in the future.
'The only thing I have got now is my job and my wages. Until I have paid off the debts I won't see any light at the end of the tunnel.'
Shane took two months off work and says he considered suicide at his lowest point.
'I thought about it a lot,' he said. 'These people are the scum of the earth. I'm disillusioned with life but I'm taking each day at a time.'
Detective Constable Jon Knox, of the Portsmouth Criminal Investigation Department, said the money could not be recovered because there were no diplomatic relations between the police in the two countries.
'This is about trying to stop other people becoming victims,' he said.
'We are very grateful to Shane for highlighting what happened to him and making others aware of his plight.'
£130,000 ??? must have been hammering the scheds
