SCAMMED OUT OF MY SAVINGS

Sue Mitchell thought she was just helping out the man she loved, but then she discovered the awful truth

- ASHLEIGH PAGE, JULIE COOK

Scrolling through the images I'd uploaded to a Facebook group for Scottish scenery, people had commented that they liked them. When I received a message from a man, introducing himself as Kim, telling me the photos were stunning, I sent a message back thanking him. But he carried on the = conversation, telling me that he lived in America and was 58. I've always dreamt of coming to Scotland," he said.

I lived in Argyll and Bute in the western highlands, and I told him about all the gorgeous places there were to explore.

I didn't expect to hear from him again, but the next day, in February 2021, Kim messaged me again. 'How are you?' he said. We got chatting and Kim opened up about his work on an oil rig off the Gulf of Mexico, and about his daughter and two grandchildren. Conversation just flowed between us. He even talked about his divorce, how his wife had cheated on him while he was working away. I told him about my own divorce and life in Scotland.

Within a few days, we'd progressed to calls. My parents are Turkish,' he told me, which explained his mixed accent.

I really liked how easy Kim was to talk to and I found myself warming to him after every conversation. It felt like I'd known him for years and I really enjoyed our chats.

FALLING IN LOVE 

Then, at the end of February, he announced he was heading back to work on the oil rig for a month and that Friday night he sent me a video of a helicopter landing on a rig. Only, a couple days later he had some bad news. He'd forgotten the card he needed to access the internet, and soon he'd be uncontactable. Can you get me a Google Play gift card?' he asked, explaining he'd be able to use it to connect to the internet. At only £50 I bought him one straight away and sent across the gift card number.