‘A fraudster stole my £150,000 life savings – it’s been devastating’

A friendship struck up over social media led Maggie* into debt and financial ruin

Five years ago, I was befriended by a chap called James on Facebook. He looked like he was in his 50s or 60s and we started chatting about daily life and our families. He said he had his own business in the gas and oil industry – it all matched with his photos online. I’d never interacted with a stranger before but it was pleasant, and a friendship grew between us.

After a while, he suggested we move to WhatsApp so I downloaded the app and we continued chatting. We’d call one another and he’d tell me about his work. My husband was unwell at the time, so I enjoyed the conversation.

Then James told me his father had died and he had to fly to Kuala Lumpur to file for his inheritance. He told me he had to pay some fees – thousands of dollars – to go through the process. I said, “Are you sure? It’s a lot of money,” but he reassured me that this was how their system worked. We were messaging back and forth while he was in Kuala Lumpur when he suddenly said his bank had frozen his account.

That was when he first asked for money – £2,000 to start with. He’d told me there was a big rift in his family so he had nobody else to ask. It all sounded plausible so I went ahead. He asked me to transfer the money via an agent. Afterwards, I instantly felt uneasy about what had happened so I contacted Action Fraud. But James called me, very upset and angry with me for doubting him. From there it spiralled. He told me that if he didn’t sort out his claim, he’d have to wait another seven years to do so. Soon he was begging me for money and after several months, I finally sent the full amount he needed. He was very grateful, assuring me it was only temporary and that he’d pay me back.

Months passed and then in August 2019, he asked me to help him with “one last thing”. His account was still frozen and he needed to access some money to get home to the UK. I allowed someone to pay £30,000 into my account and then I moved it to someone else’s account. But things went drastically wrong from there. In the run-up to Christmas, my account was blocked and the police told me I had inadvertently laundered money

I couldn’t believe it; I was completely floored. I’m still paying off a £10,000 loan I took out for him and on top of that, he’s taken my £150,000 life savings – it’s been devastating. The stress has been huge and I’ve never told my husband because he’s too poorly to cope with it.

Age UK was brilliant in supporting me through it and helping me open new accounts, but I still live with the trauma of what happened. I spoke to James for two years so it wasn’t a quick scam. These people play on your emotions and if you’re inclined towards helping people, you can easily fall for it.