Chasing the Dream of Finding Love Cost Me $2000

I met my guy on a dating site, BBWCupid. He said his name was Christopha Furtado. His pictures showed a handsome man with dark hair and a tan. He claimed he was from Portugal and was an electrical engineer.

He immediately wanted to talk on the phone. So, we used Hangouts. When he called me, his voice matched the accent that would go along with his story. He claimed he was educated in the UK, thus his British accent.

His story was fascinating and not too hard to believe. He had met a lady online from the States and ended up moving to LA to be with her. They had kids, and she ended up going back to her boyfriend and abandoning him with his kids. His visa was up, so he had to return to Portugal.

In the meantime, his mother lived in LA because she had married an American. He wanted to return to the States so he could be with his kids.

I had asked to see him on video, but he said his phone camera was broken. We would talk on the phone for hours. So hard not to fall for him. He said all the right things. He said all the things I wanted to hear.

Eventually, he began talking about needing money because he was unable to find a job after getting sick while working on a fishing vessel.

He also talked about getting a visa and passport. I thought I could help him with that. But the amount of money he needed was almost 2,500 dollars. I was shocked. He claimed he was going to hire someone to help him with the process and streamline it all. I got my tax refund, which I was going to use to take my kids this summer to visit my Mum. Well, instead, I used it to help him.

First, I sent him 1,800 but it didn’t end there. There was always something else he needed help with. He needed money for food. He needed money for his phone service or internet. In the end, I ended up giving him around $2,000 in total.

As I write this, I can see how gullible I was. I wanted the dream life with someone I love. Instead, he broke my heart.

The moment I told him I was getting food stamps, he stopped talking to me because he knew I didn’t have any more money. In the end, I am hurt, but I know I am wiser.

Donna, USA