A mum who was conned into transferring £6,000 to an online suitor through Match.com has shared her heartbreak after discovering it was a fake profile.
Maria Beckwith, 47 years old, hails from Leeds, West Yorkshire. They met on the site in Jan and quickly became friends through their romantic daily texts and calls.
However, when her mysterious sweetheart claimed he was involved in an overseas work incident that got him in trouble, she was afraid that they would never be able meet in person.
Over several weeks, the alleged Canadian citizen claimed he was living in London. He suggested that she get loans, borrow money from friends, and transfer any money to him so they could be together.
Vulnerable and desperate to meet him, Maria obliged, sending a total of £6,000 before she uncovered that she had been the victim of a romance scam, with the Canadian embassy confirming he was not even a ‘real person’.

Maria Beckwith, 47, from Leeds, West Yorkshire, was conned into transferring £6,000 to an online lover through Match.com

Maria was matched with David Mills on the site back in January. They quickly became a couple through their daily text and call exchanges. Pictured: Maria was sent a photo by David Mills.

Maria was sent a doctored paycheck by David Mills (pictured).
Maria explained, “It started out well, he seemed really sincere, but it became suspicious when he was asking for money.”
“But I didn’t realize it was a scam, because we had already established a rapport at the beginning.
“We would text every day, every night, he would videocall me before I went to bed and we would talk for hours.
“He showed me pictures with his daughter, and I showed them pictures of myself and my children.

Maria’s (pictured) mysterious sweetheart claimed that he was involved in an incident at work overseas that got him into trouble. She was afraid that they would never be able meet in person.

Over several weeks, David Mills – an alleged Canadian citizen who claimed to have lived in London – suggested Maria (pictured), take out loans, borrow money from friends and transfer any money to him so they could be together



Maria was vulnerable and desperate to meet ‘David Mills’ and so sent a total of £6,000 before she uncovered that she had been the victim of a romance scam. Maria was sent messages by ‘David Mills.
“What I know now is that those photos were faked and all photoshopped. He used special equipment to place someone else’s faces on his while we were video calling.
“When I realized I had been scammed, it was heartbreaking because my money was gone, I lost friends who borrowed money from me, and I lost the person with whom I was in love.”
Maria, a mature student in English Language, met the scammer after they began to communicate daily via Skype and Whatsapp.
He claimed to be David and told Maria he was a Canadian citizen who lives in London and works as a contractor.

Maria was confirmed by the Canadian Embassy that David Mills was not a’real person.

Maria explained that all photos sent by David Mills were fake, and that they were all photoshopped. Maria was sent pictures of ‘David Mills.



Maria claims that their initial plans to meet face-to-face were canceled when David said he needed to travel to South Africa to work. Pictured: Maria was contacted by David Mills to request money.
Maria claims their plans to meet up in person were canceled when David told them he had to travel South Africa for work.
The web of lies continued when he claimed that there had been an accident at work which would be attributed to him. He was being held in Welkom South Africa facing legal problems.
She said that she felt sorry for him. I asked him for his name and date of birth, as I believed the Canadian Embassy could help him. If he provided me with his details, I could contact them on his behalf.
“But when they asked me for his details, they told him that there was no one with that name at the embassies in Canada and South Africa.
“He showed me a $800,000 pay check and said that he could help us achieve all our dreams together once he had completed this project.
He said that he would buy me a house in the country and that I would repay everything I borrowed with interest.
“The penny didn’t fall when he said that he wasn’t coming home.

The 47-year-old said that David Mills used special equipment while they were on video call to fix someone’s face onto his.

Maria (pictured) cannot retrieve the money from her bank because she transferred the funds willingly
“I called Canada’s embassy and they said that I had been a victim to a romance scam. They told me that no one with these details was available and that it was fake.”
Maria can’t retrieve the money from her bank because she transferred the funds freely.
The police connected the mother-of-three with Action Fraud UK, which assists victims of romance scams. However, they warned that it was extremely difficult to locate the scammers, who use sophisticated technology in order to take advantage of their victims.
Maria said, “I have lost so much, it has really knocked out my confidence and affected me ability to trust people.
“I just want to warn women out there to be cautious and never trust anyone until you know them.”