Newcastle lie detector used in con artist case
A Newcastle lie detector test could have been used to help police in a recent fraud case. A woman recently fell victim to a scam and as a result was conned out of £200K.
The case
A woman living in Newcastle has spoken out after becoming a victim of romance fraud.
The 56-year-old thought she had fallen in love with a man she met via an online Scrabble app. However, they turned out to be a scammer who ran away with more than £200,000 of her money.
A game of scrabble
The woman said: “It all began so innocently, we met playing Scrabble Go. He called himself Eric and we got on really well.
“We liked the same things and after chatting for a while we moved to Whatsapp messaging.
“I had just come out of a failed relationship of nearly 40 years and I was feeling very lonely.
In love
“Eric seemed to understand, and our conversations were deep. After a while we fell in love – or so I thought. It actually turned out he was just telling me everything I wanted to hear.”
The victim went on to describe the conversation as “intense”. The fraudster said he was a Christian who was widowed and with a daughter.
A true con artist
She said: “We spoke daily, had phone and video calls so I felt like I knew who I was speaking to. I never believed I was being scammed.
“It started out small amounts of money but I ended up losing over £200,000 in total.
“He got me to open a Bitcoin account to transfer the money.
“At the time I thought I was doing a good thing and helping people in need and I was promised I’d get it back and more – he had my trust and I thought he loved me, I was totally sucked in.
“All photos I received seemed genuine, but officers showed me how to reverse search an image and then I saw they were all fake.
Newcastle police
“When I realised what had happened and how much I’d lost I broke down in front of my family because I was so ashamed and felt so stupid, but my children were so supportive.
“I was left with £300 to my name when all I wanted was to find love but I paid the price.”
The incident took place about two years ago and the victim hopes her words may help others realise they too are victims and to report it to the police.
The future
She said: “I’m finally in a better place. I’m in a new relationship, have a new home and have got a new job.
“Life is too short to dwell, but I remember the feeling when I realised what had happened to me- the enormity of it all was overwhelming.
“Luckily the support I got from Action Fraud and Newcastle Police was fantastic and I would urge anyone who has concerns or thinks they’ve been a victim to speak out – reporting what happened to you can help prevent it happening to others.
Support for victims
“I’ve been able to put this behind me now. Life is for the living and I certainly intend to do that now.”
Nearly £92 million was lost by victims across the UK last year at the hands of con artists who strike up relationships with people just to scam money from them.
How a lie detector test could have helped
Police are now looking to implement more polygraph testing at their arrest and interrogation stages. Adding a lie detector test into these stages ensures that police have an extra indicator when making a decision on whether a suspect is guilty or not. The added scientific test means police have more evidence and facts to take into their final opinion and charges. A lie detector test in this case could have helped prevent the fraud, or would have bought justice for the victim involved.
If you suspect someone you know is committing a fraudulent act then book a lie detector test online today. You can also call us on our free helpline on 07572 748364.
We provide confidential office appointments and home tests throughout the North East.
