A con man steals one woman’s heart — and $300,000. Listed here is just exactly how it simply happened.

by Doug Shadel and David Dudley, AARP | Comments: 0

Photo by Gregg Segal

He had been the solution to her prayers. It, her savings were gone before she knew. Together with guy of her fantasies? He may not really exist.

*Names have now been changed to guard identities

He was written by her first.

A short message delivered on a Thursday night in very early December 2013, underneath the topic line: Match?

You had been listed as being a 100% Match! i will be maybe not certain exactly what a 100% match means … First, would you be thinking about me. Always check my profile.

Later on, whenever she puzzled over their relationship, she’d keep in mind this. She had contacted him, perhaps not one other way around. That were a move that is fateful it made every thing easier for him. But she don’t understand that yet.

A great deal with this was new. Amy* had never ever done this online-dating thing. It turned out over couple of years considering that the loss of her spouse of twenty years; four, since she had been lost by her mom. Two sharp blows which had kept her alone inside her belated 50s.

The wedding was troubled; he had been abusive. His cancer tumors took him swiftly, before she had time for you to process the thing that was taking place. Following the funeral, a grief therapist shared with her to help make no sudden changes in her life for at the very least per year, and she adopted that advice. Now she ended up being all by herself in a home secluded at the conclusion of a gravel driveway that is long. During summer, once the woods leafed away, you mightn’t even begin to see the road or perhaps the next-door neighbors.

Amy don’t feel separated. She’d developed here, in a pocket that is conservative of. Her brothers and their own families lived nearby. With regards to came to meeting people that are new nevertheless, her alternatives had been restricted. Friends urged her to try internet dating. And, reluctantly, she did.

In the beginning, she simply tiptoed round the numerous internet dating sites, window-shopping in this peculiar brand new market. The options were overwhelming. It had beenn’t before the autumn that Amy had been willing to plunge in. Christmas had been coming, and she did not wish to face them alone.

She enrolled in a six-month registration to Match.com, the biggest and another for the earliest online dating services on line. She done a questionnaire and carefully crafted her profile. It can have now been an easy task to burnish the reality, but she introduced herself seriously, from her age (57) and hobbies (“dancing, stone collecting”) to her status that is financial sufficient”). The picture — outside photo, big laugh — had been genuine, and present. Along with her pitch ended up being easy:

Hunting for a life partner … successful, spiritually minded, intelligent, good sense of humor, enjoys dancing and travelling. No games!

In those very first months, she exchanged communications and some phone calls with guys, and also came across some for coffee or meal. But absolutely nothing clicked — either these weren’t her kind or these weren’t just who they stated they certainly were. This appeared to be among the issues with internet dating. She resolved become pickier, just men that are contacting had been closely matched — 90 percent or higher, as dependant on the algorithm pulling the strings behind her online search.

She didn’t actually understand how it worked. Back college, she’d studied computer technology and therapy, and she considered herself pretty tech-savvy. She had an internet site on her behalf company, was on Facebook, carried a smartphone. But whom knew just how these online services that are dating?

Then she saw this person, usually the one having a mystical profile name — darkandsugarclue. The picture revealed a trim, silver-haired guy of 61 with a beard that is salt-and-pepper Wayfarer-style tones. He liked bluegrass music and lived an hour or so away. And another thing: he had been a “100% match.” Whoever he had been, the computer had determined he was the only.

Significantly more than a week passed with no solution. Then, this message showed up whenever she logged on to her account.

just How have you been today that is doing? Many thanks plenty for the e-mail and I also am actually sorry for the wait in answer, I do not here come on often, smiles . I enjoy your profile and i love the things I have actually gotten to understand in regards to you to date. I would personally want to get acquainted with you while you appear to be an extremely interesting individual plus you might be gorgeous. Tell me more info on you. In reality it will be my pleasure in the event that you published me personally inside my e-mail when I hardly come on here usually.

He gave a Yahoo current email address and name, Duane. A few of the other males she’d came across on Match had additionally quickly offered individual e-mail details, so Amy don’t sense any such thing uncommon whenever she had written back once again to the Yahoo target from her very own account. Plus, when she went back again to glance at darkandsugarclue’s profile, it had disappeared.

Your profile is not any longer there — did you pull it? You shared intrigued me as I am recalling the information. I would really like to learn more in regards to you. Please e-mail me with information about your self and photos thus I could possibly get to learn you better.

Duane composed back, an extended message that sketched a peripatetic life as a “computer systems analyst” from North Hollywood, California, who grew up in Manchester, England, and had lived in Virginia for only five months— he described himself. But a lot of the note contained flirty jokes (“I would be called ‘eau de enigma’ “) and a detailed imaginary description of their first meeting if I could be bottled:

It is 11 am as soon as we get to the restaurant for brunch. The restaurant is really a white painted weatherboard, easy but well-kept, set regarding the side of a pond, separated as a result by an expansive deck, dotted ( maybe not loaded) with tables and chairs… that is comfortable.

Amy ended up being charmed — Duane had been nothing beats the local males she’d came across up to now. “You truly have great love of life and an easy method with terms,” she reacted. And she ended up being full