Another Victim Reported in Local Press

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Hello I'm New here! Joined: 08 Aug 2010 Posts: 12

Just thought I would post this here. For those that don't know a 'toon fan' is someone who supports Newcastle United, so not generally deserving of sympathy but I will make an exception in this case.

Toon fan duped by cyber 'porn star'
A TOON fan, who suffers from epilepsy, was swindled out of more than £1,000 after meeting an internet temptress who duped him with an online love scam.

Martin Spence sacrificed cash saved for his Newcastle United season ticket in the hope of bringing his new love to his Wallsend home.
But now the dejected 34-year-old is facing up to the fact his fantasy woman was a ruse that left him more than £1,000 out of pocket.
Reeling from the revelation the woman he’d planned his future with isn’t real, Martin said: “I feel like I’ve lost everything. I have low confidence but she used to keep me going.
“I really liked her and thought she liked me just for me.
“I fell for her and trusted what she said. I didn’t doubt for a minute that she wasn’t real.”
Martin first met the woman, who claimed to be an ex-porn star in America with the name Melissa Sears, through a dating advertisement on social networking site Facebook in March.
With no sign up fee Martin, who is unemployed, thought he had nothing to lose and after exchanging messages and saucy images the pair made telephone contact.
Melissa claimed she’d been born in London to an Italian father and American mother.
he’d then moved to New Mexico where she worked as a porn star before escaping the clutches of an obsessive partner.

But she said that she later fled to Nigeria to start a new life and study as a lab technician.
Over a five-month period Martin sent her more than £1,000. The latest installment of £450 was sent last Friday so his online love could buy a plane ticket and join him in North Tyneside.
Blinded by love, Martin stopped paying his rent and internet bills to stump-up enough cash to send to her.
But when he heard nothing from her over the weekend he began to realise what was happening and on Monday plucked up the courage to call police.
He said: “I feel sick and am not eating or sleeping properly. I feel as though I’ve lost everything and can’t get any closure until I find out who this person really was.
“I haven’t paid my bills or bought my season ticket. I was putting this girl first. I was putting all of my extra money into love.
“She was beautiful and would ask me how I was. She seemed perfect and you could not have met a better person, or that’s what I thought.
“This person or group should be stopped from preying on other people. Anyone can pretend to be anyone on the internet. I might not get my money back but I just want to know who this person is.”
A Northumbria Police spokesman said: “We can confirm a member of the public contacted officers at Wallsend Police Station on Monday for advice about internet safety.
“Advice was given. No complaint has been made.”

Posted: Sun Aug 08, 2010 1:29 pm

Could have been more money but that still does suck. There should be a lot more attention in the news everywhere about scams. Granted it's not 100%, but I do feel it still doesn't get much attention.

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 08 Aug 2010 Posts: 12

Yeah it was not a lot of money compared to other victims but the guy was unemployed and stopped paying bills to send the money. That's partly why I posted this, I've seen that lads try to justify what they do by claiming that their victims are rich because they are from the West and that's simply not true.

Posted: Sun Aug 08, 2010 6:15 pm

Bart Fargo wrote:

There should be a lot more attention in the news everywhere about scams.

Internet scams do get plenty of coverage in the media. Often from victims going public in the hope it might save other potential victims. Even though reading about the stories of earlier victims hadn't saved them.
It just goes in one ear and out the other. In theory everyone should be scam aware, but in practice it will never happen.

Posted: Sun Aug 08, 2010 7:35 pm

Hadaway wrote:

For those that don't know a 'toon fan' is someone who supports Newcastle United, so not generally deserving of sympathy but I will make an exception in this case.

Harsh but true Very Happy

Posted: Sun Aug 08, 2010 8:25 pm

I could get in on the fact that Toon fan's are generally not so bright but I have a friend in his forties who supports Sunderland.
Remember, he's in his forties but can't resist writing "FTM" on the back of dirty vans (could be footy fans in general? Rolling Eyes

)
I'm not a lover of football and all victims are the same to me anyway.
It happens everywhere.

I did have an email to my catcher stressing that "if you are comfortably off, please do not respond"
Must have been after a Geordie. (only joking) Laughing

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 08 Aug 2010 Posts: 12

Nothing wrong with that Very Happy

. Though I did get this story from a Sunderland forum, where he wasn't getting too much sympathy.

Edit- Deleted entire quote from post directly above. Connie Wink

Posted: Sun Aug 08, 2010 10:53 pm

Nothing to do with scamming but I had gone to the inagural game at the new stadium in Sunderland in 1997. I used to have a friend who lived in South Shields. I do remember that Sunderland and Newcastle are big rivals. (I'm not a UK resident and don't follow football/soccer)

Now if I could only find the program and other stuff I bought that day.

419Eater is my life Joined: 31 May 2010 Posts: 255

Sucks for this guy...

If only we could bait this lad...

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 08 Aug 2010 Posts: 12

Bart, that will have been the Ajax match. i had a season ticket that year. Yeah Newcastle and Sunderland are local rivals and football fans aren't the most sympathetic of people at the best of times. South Shields is between Newcastle and Sunderland so gets a large number of supporters of both teams.

419Eater is my life Joined: 08 Apr 2009 Posts: 375

Is no one going to call this guy out for falling for an "Ex-Porn Star"? More so than being a cartoon or wtf that is, trying to hook up with a porn star in itself is not very bright. It sucks that he was scammed, however, my sympathy drops slightly because of the above mentioned.

(Not that I have anything against porn... I just wouldn't date a chick who has partaken in A2M and the like...)

Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 6:53 pm

I think this story unfortunately has nothing special at all Sad

it happens 100s times every day. This time it was a 34 y o male who happens to be a football fan.
People keep this better in mind than general sentences like "love scams are everywhere". So thanks for posting Smile

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