Two Toronto women speak out after losing $76,000 in romance scam
CTV
Two women from the Toronto area are speaking out after losing thousands of dollars to a romance scam, including a single mother who lost $62,000.
Two women from the Toronto area are speaking out after losing thousands of dollars to a romance scam, including a single mother who lost $62,000.
“He asked me if I’m single. I said yes, I am single. He seemed to be in love with me and he wanted to know more about me,” said Rama, who asked CTV News Toronto to not identify her to protect her identity.
Rama told CTV News she was on Facebook when she connected with a man who claimed he was a captain of a cruise ship in the United Kingdom.
The man told her as the captain, he found it difficult to get to see her in Canada but he professed his love for her and started sending her gifts of designer purses, watches and jewelry.
However, the man claimed the shipment of gifts got tied up at the Canadian border and told her she needed to pay brokerage fees, taxes, insurance and other costs which he would later return.
Before long she spent $62,000 trying to get the items, but it was all a scam.
“Oh my gosh, I feel like I’m so broken. I’m so broke because I took out all my life savings and even took out my line of credit of $54,000,” said Rama.