My voice

Hi my name is Sita, I want to try my best and explain something I went through something I hardly ever speak about, it feels right for me now to share this experience it may help me to open about it and to help me get over this ordeal in order for me to I also feel bringing this subject to light can help someone who has gone through a similar situation.

I feel it’s also important to bring awareness to how the internet can be dangerous place for anyone at any age and at any stage in life.

In 2017 I joined an online Asian dating website which I was excited to join as I started to feel more confident and positive within myself. After a few weeks I grabbed the attention of a young man who introduced himself as Jamie. Jamie looked incredibly handsome tall and had a Indian surname he told me he was half Indian this is why he was on a Asian website he told me he liked Indian woman.

Jamie and I started talking online immediately we would have long, in-depth, engaging conversations about the past, the present and our bright future together we became very close and it was nice.

Jamie was everything a woman could dream of! It was a story book romance. He was charming, very intelligent and funny. Jamie told me his occupation was an architect. He began to open up about his family and told me he had no siblings and his parents had died when he was young. He told me he was working abroad in Nigeria on a 2-week project which had been extended. 3 weeks and he would be home. Home to meet me and home to start our journey.

We then exchanged numbers and we would message each other on a daily basis. Unfortunately, his messages would come infrequently. Some during the night and some during the day. Sometimes I would not hear from him in days, he told me this was because he was having internet issues. I was hungry to know more about him. Whenever the messages would come through, I would be so excited to read them and reply as soon as I possibly could.

A few weeks into our conversations one morning I received a message from him to say his visa had expired , he came across very panicky about this and I began to panic for him. The concern took over my body. I believed him, it sounds crazy that I believed this person that I have never met, seen or heard. I wanted to help, I had too.

Jamie explained how he needed money for a new visa and without a second of hesitation I transferred £5,000 directly into his account! He sounded so relieved. He reassured me when I read his messages.

Floods of promises came through. That once this was all over, he would be coming home to the UK and more importantly he would be coming home to me. Several times he would mention repaying me and continuously tell me how grateful he was.

I was completely smitten, wrapped up and hanging on to every word he would text.

Over time I would transfer more and more money £5000 - £10,000 at a time, every-time he would tell me his troubles coming home. Every problem he encountered, meant more money was transferred. I was convinced he was telling the truth and believed nothing else.

Until one day, I had a call from my local branch. The bank manager asked me to come in as they monitored suspicious activity on my account. Scared, dread and panic went through my body. As I arrived, I was summoned by two police officers.

They explained that the account I was transferring my money was fraudulent. They began to explain that I was a part of a money laundering scam.

I broke down, this Jamie was not Jamie. My heart, my kindness was being taking for granted. After convincing the police that I am not a part of the this scam but I am the victim.

After several interviews, phone calls and interrogations with the police. They could not find who this account belonged too. The transactions were sent to a foreign account which was untraceable.

I lost my money, my confidence and trust. Looking back at it I obviously regret it but at the time I was sold his story and I believed him I was entangled in this emotional online relationship.

I felt stupid and so embarrassed and I know others think I’m stupid, but I thought this was love. My parents have raised me to always see good in people and I believed that this person was good. Unfortunately, this was not the case and it brought me to reality that it’s the sad world we live in.

Now I have moved on, part of me has blocked this out of my memory but what I do know is I did nothing wrong I just followed my heart and wanted to help someone that needed me. Even though it has left me in debt I do not regret it.

I do not know if this would help anyone reading this... but there are genuine good people in this world with good hearts and there is nothing wrong in believing in this.

Everything happens for a reason whether it is good or bad. With whatever life throws at you just pick yourself back up and move on. This is my voice hope it may help someone somewhere.

Thanks for reading

Sita