Woman Looking For Love Finds Con Artist Instead
HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. (CBS4) - A Colorado woman who was scammed out of tens of thousands of dollars by a man she met through an online dating site is having a hard time believing she fell for it.
The Highlands Ranch woman, who wishes to remain anonymous but told her story with CBS4 and used the name Jackie, found out the man she fell in love with didn't exist.
Jackie is a smart, educated woman who runs her own business.
"I believed everything he said," she said. "I really feel like I had a relationship with this guy.
Jackie first encountered a man named George Taylor last July on the dating website OurTime.com. It's a legitimate dating website for men and women over 50.
The messages from Taylor stated he was an engineer from Lakewood.
Jackie, who says she was "blinded by love," then started getting love letters and photos from Taylor.
"We were telling each other we loved each other. He talked to my granddaughter. He said 'I love your grandma, I hope I can meet you someday,' " Jackie said.
After three weeks of digital conversation, Taylor suddenly said he had to go to Asia for a building project. After a few months, he started asking Jackie for money to keep the project going. "$10,000 here, another $20,000 there, because it was a big project in Asia."
Jackie said Taylor's correspondence was believable.
"And he always promised me that he was coming back to Colorado, he couldn't wait to see me, and that he would pay me back."
Against the wishes of her friends, Jackie sent more than $50,000 to him. In December, Taylor sent a check back for $70,000 but it was bogus. Then he disappeared.
"It was really a hard lesson to learn," said Jackie, who hopes others will learn from her experience. "When it comes to love, we don't always think straight."
Jackie talked to the FBI and the Douglas County Sheriff's Department about the situation, and both told her Taylor never existed. It's not known who the man in the photos that were sent to Jackie is and it's not clear what happened to her money.
