My Scam Story #41

A Romance Scam Victim/Survivor’s Story

Survivor’s Origin: ITALY

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

Hello everyone. Thank you for allowing me to share this. What happened to me could happen to any woman—especially those of us who use social media platforms like Facebook to stay connected or simply to pass the time. If I seem a little scattered or emotional while writing this, it’s because what I went through still affects me deeply. The pain is still fresh in some ways, even if I’m slowly learning to move forward.

My story started with what seemed like something completely harmless: a friend request on Facebook.

The name on the profile was James Coillion. I didn’t recognize it, but he had a nice smile in his photo, and his profile seemed decent. There were some family pictures, quotes about life, a few comments from what looked like other friends. Like most people, I didn’t see the harm in accepting the request. I thought, It’s just one more Facebook friend. But that small click was the beginning of something that would eventually become a nightmare.

At first, James was polite and respectful. He wasn’t pushy. He didn’t flirt right away. We exchanged simple messages—“How was your day?” “What do you do for work?”—the kind of surface-level chatter that makes you feel comfortable. Over time, though, our conversations became more personal, more frequent. He started messaging me every day. Good morning, good night, updates throughout the day, questions about my life. Slowly, subtly, he pulled me in.

He told me he was a widower. His wife had passed away a few years ago, and he was raising a young son on his own. That part really got to me—his supposed devotion to his child, his grief over losing a partner, and his openness in sharing his pain. I admired that kind of vulnerability. I found it sincere. And because I tend to be a caring, empathetic person, I started to open up too.

Eventually, he told me he worked as an oil engineer stationed on a platform overseas. He said the work was hard, lonely, and exhausting, and that talking to me gave him peace. I believed him. He knew exactly what to say. I didn’t realize it at the time, but he was manipulating me. Looking back, I can see how skilled he was at pulling emotional strings. He asked about my childhood. He complimented the little things—my smile, my kindness, how “different” I was from others. Every word was calculated to draw me closer.

I didn’t think I was vulnerable. But I was.

Soon, the tone shifted. He began calling me terms of endearment—“baby,” “love,” “beautiful.” One day he called me “wife.” It caught me off guard. It was so sudden. I remember blushing and laughing a little, unsure how to respond. A few days later, he told me he had never felt this way about anyone before. That he believed I was his second chance at happiness. And I… I believed him. I was falling in love with someone I’d never met.

Then came the first request for money.

He said his son was sick. He needed medicine and school fees, but because he was on a rig, he couldn’t access his bank account or wire anything from his location. It sounded strange, but I cared about him—and even more, I couldn’t bear the thought of a child suffering. So I sent him $200. He thanked me profusely. He said I had a good heart. He called me an angel. I felt needed. Important. I thought I was doing something good.

But that was only the beginning.

Not long after, he came back with another problem—something about his work permit, a delay in receiving payment from the oil company, and more issues with his son. This time he asked for $1,200. That amount was too much for me. I told him no. I expected disappointment, maybe some sadness. Instead, I got something much darker.

He started threatening me.

He said if I didn’t send the money, he would post private messages and pictures from our chats all over social media. He even threatened to send them to my boyfriend on Facebook—though I didn’t have one. The point was clear: he was trying to humiliate me, scare me, force me to comply. I panicked. I had no idea what he had saved or what he could do. I was terrified.

I blocked him immediately on every platform. I changed my Facebook settings. I locked down my profile so only friends could see my information. Eventually, I deactivated my account altogether for a while. I didn’t feel safe. I was humiliated, angry, and completely shaken.

That’s when something unexpected happened.

I stumbled across a post by a woman named Suzy who had reported the same scammer—James Coillion. She had gone public with her story, and she had screenshots. It was the same man. The same tactics. The same lies. I reached out to her, and she welcomed me without judgment. She listened, validated what I’d gone through, and gave me resources to start recovering. Suzy—thank you. You’ll never know how much your support meant to me in that moment.

Joining this group has been a turning point in my life. It gave me a sense of community, of being understood. I’ve learned so much—not just about the tactics scammers use, but about my own vulnerability and strength. I now understand that none of this was my fault. I was targeted, manipulated, and used. But I survived. I’m healing.

This experience has changed me. I don’t trust as easily now, but I’m not bitter—I’m more careful, more aware. I still carry some sadness and regret, but I also carry knowledge. And knowledge is power. If sharing my story helps even one other person avoid the same trap, then it’s worth it.

Thank you for welcoming me into this group. Thank you for listening. And thank you to every single one of you who continues to speak out. Together, we are turning pain into protection.

This is my story with the man who called himself James Coillion. I may have been scammed, but I am not broken. Not anymore.

SCARS Institute Notes:

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