3 men jailed for conning woman out of €254K

Juran

I can't get over this story. My heart goes out to her, I imagine she won't get a penny back. But how would you not be suspicious of people asking for large amounts money for investments you only know through dating websites. I read the report, but can't see anywhere if she ever met the man or men.

They each got a prison sentence, but as we know, Irish prision sentence meams out in a year or less. I said it before about the boys who committed PUP fraud, they should be stripped of Irish citizenshio and deported. Only punishment that will work.

Three men jailed for romance fraud that saw woman (60s) lose life savings

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/three-men-jailed-for-romance-fraud-that-saw-woman-60s-lose-life-savings-41875158.html

Jequ0n

Sorry, but how stupid can you be? That Dubai story ..

JP Liz V1

Seriously giving money away to a stranger on the internet, what was she thinking, must really be lonely and in love

After prison release, they should have to repay, no social welfare, then deport

Leg End Reject

It was a hell of a lot of money to give away, and while I have sympathy for her, all I can think of is "A fool and their money are easily parted".

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119400781#Comment_119400781

You beat me to it but how naive can you be?

I guess there's more of both out there!

Jequ0n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119400823#Comment_119400823

There are different levels of naivety.

She was willing to travel abroad to facilitate a bogus multi million dollar deal. This is quite an impressive level of naivety, and I think she gambled away her money.

No, she won’t get it back but I also don’t think she should. There is one born every minute

I really hope free legal aid wasn't granted to these con artists.

And the state of the defence. My client pleaded guilty first. So what? I know its their job but I don't know how of these defence barristers sleep at night.

BrianD3

About 10% of people in their 60s have Mild Cognitive Impairement - it's like pre dementia. The person may be living independently or mostly independently but be very susceptible to scams. Also, a lot of elderly people would have considerable savings.

Travellers routinely target these people for scams, offering to do "work" around the house etc.

Leg End Reject

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119400886#Comment_119400886

I didn't consider that. Did her bank not become suspicious? I read a case recently where another woman was fleeced for bogus roof repairs over a period of time and the bank intervened.

I'm sure travellers also target older people living alone because they're more vulnerable and easier to intimidate.

Juran

Out in under a year, generous social welfare awaiting once they get out, gets to keep Irish passport. Whats the deterent ?

Agree, something wrong with this woman.

And there is me appealing a parking fine 2 years ago, getting letters from.local council about legal actions, procecutions, criminal record, etc. I paid it in fear a record would affect future jobs, visas to the US, OZ, Canada for holidays, credit scores, etc. I'm the mug.

pgj2015

would the woman get the money from the Rolex and car the guards seized from them?

Juran

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119400881#Comment_119400881

Oh I bet my last Euro they got free legal.aid.

I know a person that every 2 years is up in court for fraud, conning people out of money from €500 to €2000. They get legal aid, found guilty, suspeded sentence of less than 1 year, not forced to pay it back, and goes home to their house paid by HAP and gets theirs weekly social welfare payments.

If I lived in Africa, Asia, Middle East, I'd be making a beeline for this country. Its f**king great !!!!

FintanMcluskey

Good lord.

As a poster on this website put it before, middle aged women looking for pipe online usually get scammed for thousands.

Seriously though, how did someone so nieve have €200,000 in savings and friends would would lend her €50,000?

Pissy Missy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119401035#Comment_119401035

That's what I was wondering too. People here are very quick to judge as if they've never done anything foolish in their life. This person was obviously vulnerable in some way whether it be loneliness, neurodevelopmental condition etc. I really hope she gets something back, at least to pay back her friend, what a horrible situation to be in. Hope she's getting some support some where.

BorneTobyWilde

Geez old men around the world are throwing millions every weeks to women on the internet, so it's hardly a shock that a woman would fall for lies laced with love also.

anewme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119401144#Comment_119401144

There have been plenty of men and women scammed online and not all middle aged either. People have lost their life savings to romance scammers as well as false investments. Scammers like this are just scumbags.

I would think this lady did not tell her friend what the 50K was for and might have said it was something for herself.

Scamming is very prolific, but also very obvious once you are tuned into it. Nobody would get 5cents off me, never mind 50grand.

Poor woman.

walshb

The owl judge was as subtle as a sledgehammer, eh.

fryup

Nigerian? how surprising I was always under the assumption that Nigerians were law abiding decent folk

billyhead

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119401110#Comment_119401110

They don't call it treasure Ireland for nothing.

Strumms

she was massively naive. To put it politely, but naivety is not a crime….

that said the sentences as handed down by the fûckwit of a judge should have landed them in jail too… what use is it, that when individuals scam / steal a six figure sum of money from a person… deliberately engineered, schemed, organised and premeditated every step of the way….and yet thanks to another of our glorious ‘public servants’ ( hahaha ) they will be back on the streets in two years… probably without getting deported…

Ireland, I dunno. Ffs.

EOQRTL

Seen these three animals outside the court earlier on the news laughing and smiling. Hope they get a really hard time in the can the utter evil cnuts.

walshb

Desperate sad, but she must have been consumed with it all. How did it go on for so long? I wonder had she family ( children etc) and if so, did they know nothing?

Danzy

Why aren't these 3 scumbags under deportation orders after their sentence.

Jarhead_Tendler

I know it is victim blaming but how could she be so gullible|?

Allinall

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119401614#Comment_119401614

Sometimes victims are to blame.

I think this is one of those occasions.

Atlantic Dawn

Giving over a quarter of a mill to someone you never met nor even had a video call with, how in the jaysus did she ever accumalate that money?

buried

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119401599#Comment_119401599

Deportation? lol There's a greater chance they'll end up on the Late Late Show some Friday night next year in order to showcase "their side of the story"

anewme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119401622#Comment_119401622

No, it is not one of those occasions.

You have no idea of the victim, or their circumstances, to be able to judge people.

The blame always lies with the people who carry out the crimes, not the people who are the victims of it.

Donald Trump

People get sucked into those things a lot easier than you'd like to think.

Once they start giving over a small sum at the start, then they don't want to believe they are being conned and will throw good money after bad. Sometimes even when it becomes blatantly they are being scammed. They do that rather than admit it to themselves.

I remember watching that fella "Jim Browning" on youtube that "hacks the hackers" and scammers. There was one where he rang the lady and told her was being scammed. But she was insistent that she was had not been and continued to wire money to Thailand or wherever it was.

Still stihl waters 3

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119401691#Comment_119401691

At that rate of going is anyone responsible for themselves at all, I'll just leave my keys in my jeep tomorrow and I'll leave my wallet on the dash as well, it won't be my fault of course, and that'll be my defense when the insurance refuse to pay out, personal responsibility seems to be a rare thing these days with people looking to blame someone else for their mistakes

kowloon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119401483#Comment_119401483

I often wonder how much it must suck to be a genuine Nigerian prince just looking to spread their wealth only to be abused by people who are so damaged and bitter about it that they can't open their hearts and learn to trust again.

foxsake

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119401483#Comment_119401483

maybe being a doctor or an engineer doesnt pay as well as we think.

Esse85

She should of just stuck to Tinder.

Hamachi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119402113#Comment_119402113

It doesn’t sound like the poor woman knew she was interacting with Nigerians. They were using the alias Neil Turner or something.

Either way, they are utter scum and should be deported. Feel sorry for the victim; this case really highlights how insidious loneliness can be.

asdfg87

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119400881#Comment_119400881

One of them had €2,000 in court. Do you really think these guys paid legal fees? Legal profession will do anything for money. No consciernce.

ButtersSuki

I'm just waiting for our UberWoke Justice Minister to pardon them.

DeadHand

We have become a joke country.

This wretched government is in no way serious about safeguarding our nation and State.

As a consequence, the country is being looted and abused at every turn by foreign elements; adding generously to an indigenous element doing the same.

Word that we have become a weak, naive country has dessiminated globally, and we are being exploited to an intolerable degree.

asdfg87

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119402204#Comment_119402204

I expect they will have to do a few months, i expect the Ukranians be happy with the accommodation they will get...

Hamachi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119402300#Comment_119402300

Irish people aren’t particularly naive or weak. The issue is that people like Helen McEntee and Roderick O’Gorman have their hands on the levers of power right now.

They are two appallingly weak individuals who should never have been let anywhere near government. I would classify both as borderline treasonous if I thought that either was bright enough to comprehend the consequences of their actions.

Juran

When I read stories in the news about Irish people who commit crimes (eg. fraud, asault, dangerous driving) in the US or Australia. They are locked up then deported. Wish this country had the same balls.

Grayson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119400881#Comment_119400881

On the other hand, if she's to get money back it'll come out of their money. So if they get legal aid, then she might get something back.

Butson

Used to travel to South Africa the odd time with work. On the flight back to Heathrow, we would always fly over Nigeria. Struck me every time, looking at the flight map on the seat in front of me, how so many Nigerians ended up in little old Ireland, a rained soaked rock off the edge of Europe.

Scammers don’t exist except for the fact that if you contact enough people you’ll be successful at the scam. These cons are clever and here’s the basis of why they work

- all they need is one small payment at first from you and you’re hooked- because you will never question that payment once you make it, because doing so means, you make a mistake and no one wants to admit that-so when asked for more money you’ll give it because otherwise you’ll be admitting to yourself that your first payment was a scam-and you won’t want to admit that.

Such scams have been around for decades but internet has really helped them take off

Jequ0n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119402130#Comment_119402130

Which means that she never met the person who she was sending huge amounts of money to, and for who she travelled to Dubai…

There has to be personal accountability for her own actions as well as the fraudsters.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119401110#Comment_119401110

I know a woman in Bandon who does this

freshpopcorn

Anybody can be scammed.

When your young you can be duped into sending nude pics on sating apps or getting cat fished.

I think in cases like this tough the victim can have some type of dementia.

Also, they may have fallen out with family, etc and are desperately lonely.

They can be flattered with the attention they receive off these guys and will do anything to keep it going.

EmmetSpiceland

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119402472#Comment_119402472

Should she have gotten a year and a half in jail? I mean, if it’s, mostly, her own fault, like.

Patrick2010

It seems very popular with our Nigerian friends. BTW How did so many end up here and get citizenship?

https://www.comparitech.com/identity-theft-protection/nigerian-scam/

The 419 scam is an infamous advanced fee fraud tactic that originated in Nigeria and has since spread around the world. The most well-known source for these emails is Nigeria, but they can originate from anywhere. In Nigeria, the crime has become a significant source of income for some, although section 419 of the Nigerian legal code prohibits it (hence the name).

Romance/lonely hearts

Online dating scams typically begin on forums, dating apps, and other public spaces that attract single or lonely people. Scammers work to convince victims that they are in love with them but there is a reason they can’t meet yet – that they need money. Soon the scammer will request money for investments, help with living costs, hospital fees or demand extravagant gifts.

Spanish Eyes

A short spell in jail, fed and watered for a quarter of a mill, versus €210 a week on the dole.

I am not going to cast judgment on the lady. There are plenty out there who pay cash in hand for this and that, and the recipient is defrauding on their taxes, day in day out.

I will judge the MOJ and the woke crowd though. There is no such thing as follow up. These guys will sign on the minute they are out, and will try it again and again.

Pissy Missy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119402124#Comment_119402124

Tinder Swindler though, these scumbags are all over the shop

Gregor Samsa

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119401728#Comment_119401728

Insurance payouts like that have nothing to do with the ethical (or even legal) question of culpability. They're purely transactional, base on your compliance with the terms and conditions you agreed to with them.

I find the idea that someone would use insurance companies, of all things, as an example of arbiters of ethical responsibility laughable.