My Nigerian girlfriend needs money to move to the UK – is it a scam?
DEAR DEIDRE: MY Nigerian girlfriend says she needs money so she can come to the UK to escape her abusive life.
I am 40 and single, and for the past year I’ve been talking to this Nigerian woman, who is 28.
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We’ve messaged, swapped pictures and had numerous video chats. She’s kind and sweet, and I’m 100 per cent sure she is genuine.
She has a difficult life and is bullied by her mother, who makes her do all the chores and often kicks her out. She doesn’t have a job.
Her mother is trying to marry her off to a local man, who is much older, and who she dislikes.
She is desperate to come to the UK to be with me.
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She needs a passport and a visa to come here and has put me in touch with a man who can sort them out.
I have the money but I’m not daft enough to hand it to a total stranger.
We want to be together. She’s so unhappy that she has threatened suicide a few times and says she’ll do it if she has to stay there.
Are there any organisations who can sort this out and bring her here?
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DEIDRE SAYS: You are right to be wary. You only need to Google “Nigerian romance scams” to see how common and sophisticated these are.
This woman may appear genuine, but she could be a very convincing actress, and a front for criminals who only want your cash.
Don’t send money. Perhaps call her bluff and say you’ll come to visit her instead, to see if you are compatible in the flesh.
See if her attitude changes if you refuse to send money. You will soon know the truth.
My support pack, Love Online, explains more.