A British man is counting his losses after he fell prey to a fake Kenyan bride scam that resulted in him losing Ksh14.5 million (£85,000).
The man, while highlighting his plight to the BBC, revealed how he transferred his life savings to someone called 'Anita'. The 69-year-old, who was living in Leiston, Suffolk, had started an online relationship with her, falling in love for the first time since the death of his wife, Pauline, in 2019.
The man, who was once a United Nations worker, narrated that he had first been put in contact with 'Anita' by a friend whom he had met in person three years earlier while working in Kenya.
After striking up a seemingly romantic online relationship, he agreed to move to Nairobi and marry her. He began to send money so she could prepare their home, but when he landed in Kenya, she was nowhere to be found.
In the aftermath of the man falling victim to the scam, he revealed he spent six weeks living on the streets and in shelters in Guildford and Woking back home in England when he returned.
The man is currently living in a flat with communal facilities in Staines-upon-Thames, adding that he is now using his monthly pension payments to cover his rent but said most months he was "lucky" if he was left with £20 (Ksh3,429) in his pocket.
"I've got nothing, I've got nobody, I've got zero, so my quality of life is pretty poor and my future looks pretty poor. I've got no future," he said.
"But I can't think about it because I just get too upset, and if I can't do something to change things, then what's the point?” he added.
The man blamed his woes on his two banks, which he claimed did not protect him enough. Despite that, he still acknowledged that he had made a mistake in engaging in transactions despite prior warnings.
"They said it was my fault, and I know I did do a stupid thing, but I am a victim, and they did not protect me enough. I can't believe how awful the banks are to people, and I don't think they put enough barriers in place to stop scammers and prevent fraud," he charged.
The man’s case comes at a time when instances of romance fraud are on the rise. Data obtained in 2024 showed that cases of romance fraud had risen by over 60 per cent during the last four years.
In 2023, there were 7,660 cases of romance fraud processed in England and Wales by a self-reporting tool, up from 4,842 in 2019.
