A devastated Scots woman who was 'new to social media ' has told how she was conned out of thousands of pounds by a heartless romance scammer.
The woman, who does not want to be named, said she felt 'ashamed' when she realised she had been conned by the man who pretended to be her friend.
At the start of the pandemic the woman, from the Highlands, decided to set up a Facebook profile to keep up with pals during Lockdown.
The man preyed on her emotions and told her he was in 'life or death' trouble.
The woman has spoken out in an effort to help anyone else in her situation.
She said: "I'm new to social media, especially Facebook, however during lockdown I thought I would give it a go and I saw a friend request from someone I thought I knew.
"I replied and soon discovered that actually I didn't know them at all but we carried on talking and we seemed to develop a rapport.
"This went on for a few weeks and then he asked me to send him some money because he had got himself into some terrible situation.
"I trusted this person and I felt sorry for them. It seemed a desperate situation indeed.
"He asked for a small amount of money at first, just £500, which I sent via the Post Office.
"He asked me to send it to his agent, who had emailed the said address.
"I did obtain a receipt from the Post Office for this amount."
Thinking the £500 would be a one-off and started the ball rolling on a scam that would cost her thousands.
She said: "It was at this point I started to get small lightbulb moments.
"We continued chatting but he asked me for more money- the situation was becoming a matter of life and death and it seemed really dire.
"I sent him £2,500 by bank transfer. He asked me the same week to up that to £5,000.
"I sent another £2,000 by bank transfer. He asked me to take photos of the transactions and email them to his agent.
"I was very careful to blot out any of my own bank details."
Becoming emotional, she explained how the man kept upping the price and saying he was in danger.
She said: "The situation got worse and he was in a terrible situation.
"He said he needed me to send him a further £10,000. I felt very worried about this and for him."
But a quick-witted Bank of Scotland employee smelled a rat and called the cops.
The woman added: "I went to the bank and I explained to them that I had a friend in need and they needed the money sent to them.
"The bank employee immediately flagged this up as a potential fraud and would not send the money.
"As is the Bank of Scotland protocol they then called the police who came and interviewed me.
"Meanwhile the bank showed me a couple of videos of frauds which bore a very big resemblance to the situation I was in.
"The whole situation just made me feel ashamed.
"I was very worried for this man.
"Police then referred me to Trading Standards who took a very detailed statement over the phone.
"They referred me to ability.net and the adult social work service, both of whom were very helpful and caring.
"The reason I am making this statement is that I don't want anyone else to get into this situation.
"There are people out there who will help and be reassured that you are not alone.
"Be very aware of friend requests on Facebook.
"Don't be scared to ask for help and never, ever give out bank details.
"I am grateful to the Bank of Scotland, the Police and Trading Standards and all the other organisations who are out there willing to help."
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