REAL LIFE DIRTY JOHN
Fake 'millionaire' online lover who I never met scammed me out of £75k in just six months
It was only when sitting alone in a hotel room in Hawaii did Jordan realise she had been tricked by a man she had never even met
Lucy Devine
20 Mar 2019, 9:33
Updated: 17 Apr 2019, 16:14
A HEARTBROKEN woman has revealed how she was scammed out of £75K after falling in love with a man online.
Jordan Alexander, 51, who lives in New Zealand, thought she had fallen for a railway engineer named James Norman - but it turns out the "millionaire businessman" was a fraudster.
Jordan thought she had fallen for a railway engineerCredit: Jordan Alexander
The mum-of-two first started chatting to James online and following a six-month whirlwind romance, travelled to Hawaii to meet him for the first time.
Much to Jordan's horror, upon arrival in Hawaii she soon realised she had been scammed into handing over £75,000.
James, 50, had built up Jordan's trust for months - even giving the mum access to his bank accounts containing "millions of dollars" - before asking to borrow money to buy "railway supplies from China".
It was only when sitting alone in a hotel room did Jordan realise she had been tricked by a man she had never met.
The pair hit it off straight awayCredit: Jordan Alexander
James sounded perfect at first - she doesn't believe the man pictured on his profile had anything to do with the scamCredit: Jordan Alexander
The pair first matched online just one day after Jordan had set up her online dating profile.
They hit it off straight away and Jordan was surprised at how quickly the couple clicked - they both worked in business, travelled overseas and had kids.
"I thought... geez so far so good - James and I are already 'on the same page' around issues, feelings and what's important," she said.
"His profile pic showed him in a business shirt, sleeves rolled up so he had this air of casual but still smart, crystal blue eyes, warm smile - and a moustache I was sure I could get him to shave off in time.
"He was a Christian, spoke fondly of his deceased wife who was taken by cancer. He hadn't dated in years - me too."
The pair matched just one day after Jordan set up her online profileCredit: Jordan Alexander
Jordan thought James had the whole packageCredit: Jordan Alexander
So far, so good and as their relationship grew, the pair started speaking on the phone, with Jordan explaining he "sounded tall, dark and handsome".
"He was always asking about the girls and work," she explained.
"I felt he was caring, thoughtful, kind, family oriented, keen to have a deep and meaningful relationship 'with the right woman'.
"Our first conversation was a bit of a surprise - he caught me off guard. We hadn't planned a chat. I remember thinking - where is that accent from?
"He said he lived in South Africa for work for a long time, and then New York and London.
"His accent was a bit 'different' - so was mine as a Canadian, now Kiwi, who was born to European parents - I thought it all made sense.
"It was a lovely voice and he even sounded tall, dark and handsome."
Jordan was pleased James seemed family orientated tooCredit: Jordan Alexander
Mum Jordan, skiing with her two kids in OregonCredit: Jordan Alexander
Things only started getting better for James and Jordan, with their relationship going from strength to strength after James first said "I love you".
Just four months in, the pair decided they would meet in Hawaii, with Jordan explaining James' assistant had even emailed her details for the hotel booking.
"His assistant had emailed me regarding details for the hotel, all paid for. I loved that someone other than me was making the arrangements, I felt wonderful," she said.
The pair agreed to meet in HawaiiCredit: Jordan Alexander
But soon, James started acting suspiciously - claiming he was working in a remote area of Sri Lanka and asking Jordan to help him transfer his own money.
Building up her trust, James handed over passwords, allowing Jordan to log into his accounts.
"I had to do some banking for him - on his accounts, using his passwords so he didn't ask me to give him money at first," she said.
"I could see he had millions.
"It was when his bank didn't let the transfer go through because the request was from an unknown server - I am in New Zealand not London, he only then asked me to send him $15,000 to buy the railway supplies from China."
Soon, James was making up excuses to ask for money on a regular basis, with Jordan maxing out credit cards and having to re-mortgage her home.
James said he was working in a remote area of Sri LankaCredit: Jordan Alexander
The mum never imagined she wouldn't get the money backCredit: Jordan Alexander
Soon, he started asking for moneyCredit: Jordan Alexander
Jordan gave James a total of £75KCredit: Jordan Alexander
After seeing the "millions" in his accounts, Jordan wasn't initially concerned that she wouldn't get her money back, but when she arrived in Hawaii to meet James and he was nowhere to be seen - claiming he had been "detained" in Sri Lanka - she began having serious concerns.
"He asked me to send him money when I was in Hawaii waiting for him so he could get out of jail - that's when I said 'no way'. He's not coming," she said.
To make matters worse, she was billed over £800 when she left Hawaii - realising James had never paid for the room.
Despite trying to confront the fraudster, she never heard from him again.
Jordan ended up in Hawaii aloneCredit: Jordan Alexander
Jordan started having serious concernsCredit: Jordan Alexander
Jordan's story bears a resemblance to the recent Netflix series, Dirty John - the real-life story of successful businesswoman, Debra Newell who met John Meehan online.
John - who claimed he was a doctor - seemed perfect at first, but eventually Debra discovered he was a con man and that their relationship had been based on lies.
Seven years on and Jordan is engagedCredit: Jordan Alexander
Seven years on and now engaged, Jordan has penned a book about her experience, I love you, Send Money and has also launched Love Assist Associates - a business helping people find love in a safe way online.
"I went back online six years later and found an amazing man, Rick - now my fiancé after two years together," she revealed.
The pair have been together for two yearsCredit: Jordan Alexander
Jordan has been able to trust again and has even set up her own businessCredit: Jordan Alexander
"It took me years to have the courage to talk about it. So much shame and guilt - very self-deprecating.
"I do not want anyone to go through what I did - years of self deprivation and shame I never thought it could happen to me. But when the love goggles go on, love makes people do crazy things.
"My experience changed my whole life - and affected those around me.
"That's why it's so important for me to help others. It helps me to find meaning and purpose from the scam event."
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