Echo exposes online romance con that cost one man 50,000 - The Northern Echo

Echo exposes online romance con that cost one man 50,000

8:00am Friday 22nd July 2011

INTERNATIONAL fraudsters are using a fake hospital, hotel and firm of solicitors in the North-East to target men looking for love on the internet, The Northern Echo can reveal.

Websites featuring a bogus hospital in Hurworth, near Darlington, and a non-existant firm of solicitors in Durham City have been created.

A fake luxury hotel in Darlington which tellingly offers sea-view rooms for up to 200 a night is also being advertised online.

The sites were used to convince a retired IT consultant from Austria to pay out more than 50,000 in the belief he was helping a young female artist who had fallen on hard times. It is known that at least two men from Belgium have been targeted, however it is believed many more men could have fallen victims to fraudsters.

Police say the men are being targeted by romance fraudsters who prey on people using online dating services.

According to its website, Hurworth Hospital, in Hurworth, near Darlington, is a state-of-the-art facility offering a range of surgeries and treatments.

However, the address in the villages Strait Lane is, in reality, an end terrace occupied by sales manager Andy Mangle, although the photograph used on the fake website is a bungalow next door.

The 34-year-old expressed amazement when told by The Northern Echo about his property's involvement in the scam.

He said: Its a bit of a shock to be honest.

Its strange to find out your house is actually a hospital.

The company claims to run other hospitals in London, Sheffield, Bristol, however calls to the phone numbers on its website go unanswered.

Details on the site appear to be copied from a genuine company, Aspen Healthcare.

A spokesman for the firm said last night: We deplore any part of our message to patients being misused in an improper and inappropriate way.

Gilstar Solicitors claims to have offices in Durham, Bristol, Bolton and London, but its phone numbers also appear to be false.

The Northern Echo has already revealed how the fraudsters set up a website for Poulett Hotel a fake luxury hotel in Darlington.

It is understood the scammers approach men on dating websites or forums claiming to be a woman living in the UK. After gaining the mens trust, the fraudsters ask for money.

The victim from Vienna, who has asked not to be identified, said he was contacted on an internet art forum.

The fraudster claimed to be a 29-year-old woman from the US called Allison Hager, who was currently living in the UK. After about a fortnight of exchanging emails, the man was asked for money to pay customs bills to ship artwork to the US.

Over the next three months, he was asked for more and more money, with the websites used to convince him the requests were legitimate.

The man said the fraudsters had taken most of his savings.

He added: I did it really as a humanitarian act and I have been bitten.

The man has reported the incident to the police in Austria.



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