The international fraud reporting centre has revealed it was contacted by more than 15,000 people who said they had been victims of scams in the first six months of this year. One woman tells how she was duped.
Rhonda Porker is an unlikely victim of fraud.
Attractive, confident and self-reliant, she lives with her many cats alone in a flat in Bermondsey; she was contacted by email with promises to make all her cares go away.
'I have been a bit lonely of late, having been single these past years' She explains 'and thought maybe they could help me find that someone special.
The advertising soon had Rhonda hooked with its promises of dreams coming true
'I so wanted it all to be true, I paid my money like a fool thinking my dreams would all come true, I was hooked by their promises'
The cruel and despicable tricks played by these online fraudster were so calculating that before long, Rhonda was paying out even more money. 'I received a cheque back from them for twice the amount I had originally given them and at this point no hint of finding that special someone,. Now I look back on it I see I was like a junky looking for my next fix. I sent them more money, I feel so stupid now, that money just seem to disappear into the ether, so I sent even more money'
It was at the point that Ms Porker had started to wonder if the claims by these internet vultures held any water, so with her next payment she included a note to ask if a match in love had been found.
'I couldn't believe the cold heartlessness in which with what they dealt with me with' sobbed the lonesome Ms Porker through balls of snotted up tissues 'I only wanted someone to hold me, but they wrote back saying that they were in no position to help me with my personal life as they were just an online gambling website'
