Man Sends $200k to Online Girlfriend…That Doesn’t Exist

Chicago Tribune – A 48-year-old west suburban Naperville man never met his online girlfriend, but he didn’t mind sending her cash — $200,000 over about two years.  The Naperville man told police he started the online courtship about two-and-a-half years ago. His name hasn’t been released.  Since the relationship began, he’s wired about $200,000 to her at bank accounts in Nigeria, Malaysia, England and the United States.  The Naperville Sun reports that the man had an ID from the woman that was a sample driver’s license from Florida.  The jig was up this week when the man contacted police to ask for their help in rescuing the woman, who he said had been kidnapped in London.  Police say the man “was in disbelief” when an officer told him his girlfriend didn’t exist.

I refuse to believe someone could be this dumb.  Especially someone that has that much money.  You just send $200k to a “woman” over a 2 year period?  Someone whose voice you’d never heard, face never seen, ass never tapped?  I mean, this guy was obviously balling, but had to have been one of the loneliest men in the world.  Just forking out Benjamins for a few instant messages and e-mails.  I just can’t see how red flags didn’t go up every time he wired money to Nigeria and Malaysia.  And what did this “woman” tell this guy to get him to send so much money?  Cuz I’m about two seconds away from trying to pull this scam off too.