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This is in the newspaper, The West Australian on page 3 and also online right here.
Love scam dupes WA disabled - The West Australian
Overseas crime syndicates are targeting disabled people in WA using a romance scam which has already fleeced two deaf Perth women of more than $100,000.
One of the women, who had been conned into believing her internet pen-pal wanted to start a long-term relationship with her, had agreed to sell her Brentwood villa and send the $400,000 to a bank in London before her family intervened.
The same woman, aged 42, had already sold her car and raised tens of thousands of dollars in loans which she transferred via Western Union to various bank accounts in Nigeria and Britain.
Fraud squad detectives, who contacted one victim at the Deaf Society of WA, are investigating whether anyone in Perth has supported the overseas criminals, who create fake identities, photographs and other documents to convince the women they have met their "Mr Right".
But there is little else police can do to help victims recover their money. and concede that millions of dollars are lost to the Nigerian scam and other internet cons every year.
"Despite all the publicity, people do fall for it," Det-Sgt Stuart Murfin said. "Love is a strong emotion."
Still convinced that the man writing to her and asking for money was genuine, one of the deaf women took a restraining order out against her mother, who was trying to stop further funds from being stolen.
"It has been a nightmare because you can't control what's happening," a victim's mother said. "Your own daughter goes against you when all you're trying to do is help her. When I started looking into her finances I came across all these debts and I had to pay them otherwise she could have ended up going to jail."
The mother has been forced to make an application to the State Administrative Tribunal for power of attorney over her daughter's financial affairs and the families have employed private detectives to unravel the scams and discover how and when the money was sent to the bank accounts set up by the crime syndicates.
They found that one cash transfer for $10,000 had come from an unsecured loan obtained through the National Australia Bank, which will have to be repaid by the victim's family.
Bob Colton, from In-depth Investigations, told _The West Australian _that another deaf woman had been transferring her monthly disability pension of about $800 to a Nigerian bank account for up to three years, which totals $28,800.
"These people are vulnerable and being brainwashed into believing they will end up marrying these men," Mr Colton said. "No matter how silly it sounds, it is happening, but because it stems from overseas there doesn't seem to be anywhere victims can go even though they've been defrauded."
Emails reveal how the men - one who used the name Luis Vegas - lured the disabled women away from internet chat sites and slowly won their confidence. "I want you to understand that I love you so much and I always will," one email reads. "I will wait for the payment tomorrow."
At one point one of the victims went to the airport believing her internet lover was flying to Perth to meet her for the first time.
"It's disgusting to subject people with disabilities to this sort of scam," Mr Colton said. "Under law these people are deemed competent, but they are easily preyed on."
Love scam dupes WA disabled - The West Australian
Overseas crime syndicates are targeting disabled people in WA using a romance scam which has already fleeced two deaf Perth women of more than $100,000.
One of the women, who had been conned into believing her internet pen-pal wanted to start a long-term relationship with her, had agreed to sell her Brentwood villa and send the $400,000 to a bank in London before her family intervened.
The same woman, aged 42, had already sold her car and raised tens of thousands of dollars in loans which she transferred via Western Union to various bank accounts in Nigeria and Britain.
Fraud squad detectives, who contacted one victim at the Deaf Society of WA, are investigating whether anyone in Perth has supported the overseas criminals, who create fake identities, photographs and other documents to convince the women they have met their "Mr Right".
But there is little else police can do to help victims recover their money. and concede that millions of dollars are lost to the Nigerian scam and other internet cons every year.
"Despite all the publicity, people do fall for it," Det-Sgt Stuart Murfin said. "Love is a strong emotion."
Still convinced that the man writing to her and asking for money was genuine, one of the deaf women took a restraining order out against her mother, who was trying to stop further funds from being stolen.
"It has been a nightmare because you can't control what's happening," a victim's mother said. "Your own daughter goes against you when all you're trying to do is help her. When I started looking into her finances I came across all these debts and I had to pay them otherwise she could have ended up going to jail."
The mother has been forced to make an application to the State Administrative Tribunal for power of attorney over her daughter's financial affairs and the families have employed private detectives to unravel the scams and discover how and when the money was sent to the bank accounts set up by the crime syndicates.
They found that one cash transfer for $10,000 had come from an unsecured loan obtained through the National Australia Bank, which will have to be repaid by the victim's family.
Bob Colton, from In-depth Investigations, told _The West Australian _that another deaf woman had been transferring her monthly disability pension of about $800 to a Nigerian bank account for up to three years, which totals $28,800.
"These people are vulnerable and being brainwashed into believing they will end up marrying these men," Mr Colton said. "No matter how silly it sounds, it is happening, but because it stems from overseas there doesn't seem to be anywhere victims can go even though they've been defrauded."
Emails reveal how the men - one who used the name Luis Vegas - lured the disabled women away from internet chat sites and slowly won their confidence. "I want you to understand that I love you so much and I always will," one email reads. "I will wait for the payment tomorrow."
At one point one of the victims went to the airport believing her internet lover was flying to Perth to meet her for the first time.
"It's disgusting to subject people with disabilities to this sort of scam," Mr Colton said. "Under law these people are deemed competent, but they are easily preyed on."
