A loved-up woman defended her decision to send £69,000 to the boyfriend she'd never met - before learning the truth about their relationship.
Terri met her boyfriend, Ricardo, on Facebook two years ago, when she learned he had millions of dollars and 'wanted someone to spoil'.
Terri was more than happy to be that person, so she sent Ricardo her phone number and the pair soon fell into a relationship, constantly texting and talking on the phone.
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"He's very handsome," Terri said, as she opened up about the relationship on talk show Dr Phil. "We started telling each other we were in love within a month. Ricardo asked me to marry him and I said 'yes!'"
Terri spoke to Ricardo at least twice a day, though she admitted: "Sometimes I can't figure out what he's saying, but he doesn't sound African."
Ricardo told Terri he lived in Los Angeles, but the pair never had the chance to meet as Ricardo said he was moving to Canada for work shortly after they met.
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She tried 'desperately' to meet up with him, but told Dr Phil he 'always has an excuse and something always interferes with it'.
In spite of this potential warning sign, Terri decided to oblige when, about a month after they met, Ricardo began asking Terri for money.
He encouraged her to invest £7,800 in Bitcoin, telling her the investment would make at least £785,000 in six months. Two years on, Terri had sent approximately £69,000 to Ricardo, and never saw a penny in return.
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Naturally, this sparked some red flags with Terri's loved ones.
She said: "People are still telling me that Ricardo isn't real, that he's scamming me, that he's not in Canada and that he's in Nigeria or some other African country."
However, Terri defended her decision, saying: "I don't believe them... I believe Ricardo's real. I would like to spend the rest of my life with Ricardo."
It wasn't until Terri spoke with Dr Phil that she learned she'd been the victim of a scammer; someone who had used someone else's image when chatting with Terri.
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After learning that the 'handsome' man she thought she'd been speaking to was actually the image of someone named James, Terri said: "I'm heartbroken. But I'm done. When I get home I'll get a new cell phone number... and I'll block him."
To further prove that Terri had been scammed, Dr Phil said there had been no one born in the US with Ricardo's name on his alleged date of birth, and that he'd never owned a home in Beverly Hills.
The revelations left Terri with 'no doubts' that she'd been scammed, much to the relief of her loved ones.
Topics: Technology, Sex and Relationships, TV And Film
Emily Brown