My Scam Story #38

A Romance Scam Victim/Survivor’s Story

Survivor’s Origin: AUSTRIA

This is the original victim’s story, enhanced by the SCARS Institute Editorial Team to improve comprehension, readability, and continuity.

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My Scam Story

In February of this year, I met someone on Instagram named David Osborne. He said he was 50 years old, a U.S. soldier stationed in Kabul, Afghanistan since December 2017. He told me he had twin five-year-old children, Sophia and William, who were living with his Aunt Jane during his deployment. He said he had lost his wife in a traffic accident in 2016.

We chatted on Instagram for a few days before switching to Google Hangouts. After about a week, he asked if he could call me. I said yes—and from that point forward, we spoke every day and continued chatting constantly. He told me he had gone through a very dark time after his wife’s death, and that returning to duty was his way of finding stability and meaning again. He said his commanding officer allowed him to use his private phone during free time, but not the local military network, so he could continue talking to me.

About three weeks in, he told me he had fallen in love with me—and I realized I had developed strong feelings for him too. At the beginning of March, his children’s birthday came around. I wanted to send them gifts, but he suggested I send money to his aunt instead, for both the children’s birthday and for repairs to his house.

Six weeks later, he said his phone only had limited internet access—three days at a time—and asked if I could send money for new data so we could continue to communicate. He also said he couldn’t access his bank account while deployed. I had fallen for him completely. From the first phone call, his voice had drawn me in—calm, warm, gentle, and fluent in American English. There was something comforting in the way he spoke to me, how he listened, and how we grew more connected every day.

Looking back, it’s embarrassing to admit how emotionally involved I became. We even had sweet, regular video chats. I felt like I had a real, intimate connection with him. I wanted it to be real. I ended up sending €600—once via Western Union to the U.S., and once through PayPal to a woman in Germany who he said would forward the money because Western Union had blocked his contacts from receiving additional transfers.

It wasn’t long before the requests became more questionable. He asked for an iTunes card to help pay someone caring for his father and to update his phone. That’s when I became suspicious. I started researching scams and began keeping my doubts to myself, all while continuing to play along and keep him calm. He remained patient, consistent, and well-spoken—always composed.

When I told him I didn’t have money for the iTunes card, he seemed to accept it and dropped the topic. Then he told me he had applied for vacation and that I would soon receive the paperwork. A few weeks later, I got an email with what looked like official documents—claiming that I would need to pay €5,000 for him to get leave. Supposedly, this payment would be reimbursed once he arrived because his vacation bonus would be released along with access to his bank account.

Around the same time, he asked me to buy him a new phone, saying his current one barely worked. That’s when I decided to play along. I told him I would get the phone and even sent fake pictures of an iPhone in an office setting, pretending I had already bought it. He believed everything. I told him I only ship items from my office, never from home, and he accepted that too.

He asked me to send the phone to a contact in the UK, claiming his boss would be able to deliver it safely to him. I stalled, saying I needed his APO/AKO military mailing address to send it officially. He ignored the request. A few months later, when he realized I hadn’t actually mailed anything, he got upset. But I managed to calm him down, and by August, he told me he trusted me again.

Then came another red flag. He gave me a new shipping address—this time in South Africa—and claimed a nurse there would be flying to Kabul and could bring him the phone. What he didn’t know is that I already knew: the U.S. military isn’t stationed in South Africa. Once again, I hesitated.

That’s when everything started to unravel. His tone changed. He never yelled or became overtly aggressive, but his messages turned colder and more calculated. I knew something was very wrong.

Two weeks ago, I received a WhatsApp message from an unknown American number. The message said someone had been hired to kill me. The sender claimed to know me well and provided specific personal information about my life and my work. They said if I contacted the police, my children—especially my daughter—would be the first targets.

I was terrified.

I immediately wrote to David and told him about the threat. He repeated the message back to me word-for-word and advised me to negotiate with the person. He told me to beg for my life and the lives of my children. That’s when everything became clear.

Only David knew that I planned to involve the police. I hadn’t told the other person. There was no way anyone else could’ve known unless he was the one behind it.

I told David I was going to report it to the authorities. Not long after, the same anonymous number messaged again, saying I had made a mistake by going to the FBI. It was confirmation. It had to be him.

I can’t deny it—I loved him. I believed him. I trusted him with parts of my life I don’t share easily. And I feel humiliated. Not just because of the money—although I lost over €600—but because of the emotional toll. I was ready to share my life with him. I opened my heart, and he used it all against me.

That was the short version of what happened.

I still carry feelings I wish I could erase. I still struggle with embarrassment and pain. But I know I’m not alone. I know others have gone through this too. And every day, I fight to feel stronger.

I’ve blocked him from every device and reported everything. I’ve taken back my power one step at a time. And even though I’m exhausted, I’m still here. I want to thank Iris Münzel for finding me when I was at my lowest. You saved me—and I’ll never forget that.

SCARS Institute Notes:

-/ 30 /-

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