Kit Roberts
A woman has spoken out about having to sell her house after scammers targeted her by posing as celebrities.
Jennifer Barton told how fraudsters had pretended to be celebrities such as Charlie Hunnam, Nicky Byrne from Westlife, US singer Michael Ray, and Alexander Ludwig.
The 44-year-old from Kidderminster in the UK ended up being scammed out of £250,000, around $340,000, after the fraudsters claimed that the celebrities they were posing as were embroiled in messy divorces and needed money to fund the court cases.
The scams also involved them tricking Barton into thinking that they had romantic feelings for her, eventually convincing her to sell her car and even her house.
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As the deception deepened, the criminals would employ ever more elaborate lies and excuses for why they needed money.
“People were reaching out on Facebook and Instagram, saying they were celebrities like Alexander Ludwig and saying they wanted to meet," said Jennifer.
“They wanted to chat on Telegram as it was more private.
“Some said they were going through divorce and didn’t have their own money.
"It was one excuse after another - one said they were arrested, another was let out of their contract, one was in London and got robbed."
She added: “They all told me that they loved me and wanted to marry me, wanted to come to England and be with me.”
Jennifer, who works for the UK's National Health Service, said that things started off as 'general everyday kind of chat with a bit of flirtatiousness', but quickly escalated into sob stories and requests for her to send money.
“It was within a month or so he asked for money," she recalled. "He asked for around £3,000 for court fees."
Jennifer said that despite doubts, she 'got addicted' to sending the money over.
"You are hoping that the guy is legit," she said. "I did wonder if I had gone too far, but I got addicted to spending this money - I have this attention from someone and I am liking this attention."
But things escalated when someone posing as Michael Ray convinced her to sell her house and her car.
“I sold the house and I spent all the money," said Jennifer. "I got £111,000 and then apart from a bit for a hotel and a hire car, the vast majority went on him.
“He said I would be able to get a new house with the money and he was reassuring me that everything was going okay.”
Now, Jennifer wants to warn people about the dangers of online fraud, saying: “For anyone facing anything similar, just reach out to family and friends. Especially if they’re asking you for money."
Describing the feeling, she said: “There was an addictiveness, when someone gives you attention, even if it’s a scammer, it’s nice. They play on your feelings.”
Scammers employ several techniques, such as either offering a reward or incentive, like with Jennifer, or convincing someone that something bad will happen if they don't pay, for example posing as the IRS and telling you owe thousands in tax.
They will often also try to create a sense of urgency, for example in Jennifer's case with claims about court fees, or in the fake IRS example they might say if you don't pay within 24 hours then your 'penalty' will double.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, you can contact Victim Support on 08 08 16 89 111, start a live chat, or visit the website, all of which are available 24 hours seven days a week.