I was lonely after my husband died until finding love with Army general, I sent him £128k before the penny dropped

FOLLOWING the death of her husband of 42 years, retired teacher Diana, 67, was lonely, grieving and struggling to rebuild her life. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a distinguished military officer appeared online. Lonely widow Diana* was conned out of £128,000 by a ‘new love’ who claimed to be a military officer Credit: National Crime Agency She was actually speaking to scammer Maxwell Rusey, was later arrested and jailed for five years for fraud at Woolwich Crown Court in September 2024 Credit: Kent Police He introduced himself as a retired general serving overseas on sensitive military duties, and was charming, attentive and patient. Every day he sent messages asking how she was feeling. He listened, sympathised, and told her she was special. Sign up for the Fabulous newsletter Thank you! When he eventually told her he loved her, Diana* believed him. And she thought she was falling in love with him too. That is until, after sending him more than £128,000, the bulk of her life savings, she realised she had been the victim of a cruel and elaborate scam. Diana believed she was helping an Army General out with his finances Credit: Getty How to protect yourself from romance fraud Take things slowly and protect your personal information Be wary of anyone who quickly declares their love If they refuse to video call or always have an excuse, be suspicious Never send money to someone you have not met in person If you think you have been targeted, report it to Action Fraud at actionfraud.police.uk It comes as Great TV’s Freeview channel Great Romance becomes the first TV channel to donate commercial airtime to the National Crime Agency in a partnership to tackle the growing threat of romance fraud. Diana shared: “I just can’t believe I did it. When I look back at what I gave him, I think, ‘Why did I do that? I know I was lonely and vulnerable but still…'” Before her husband of four decades passed away in 2019, the pair had raised a son and a daughter, before three grandchildren arrived. His death from heart disease came as a devastating blow. Most read in Fabulous Diana recalls: “It was a massive shock and I just couldn’t cope. “In the end I suffered a nervous breakdown. I was in such a bad way that my son took me in to live with him.” She eventually joined an international pen-pal website in 2022, not looking for romance, but for friendship. One message stood out, from a man claiming to be a retired senior British Army officer called back into service to do covert work in Mali. Diana’s family has a background in the military, so the message immediately caught her attention. Better still, everything appeared to check out when she searched his name online. She found photographs, videos, articles, and pictures of him with the Queen, and the details seemed to match the man she was speaking to. She says: “I looked him up and everything seemed genuine. I had no reason to believe he wasn’t the man he said he was.” That, investigators say, is one of the hallmarks of sophisticated romance fraud. Criminals rarely invent entirely fictional identities. Instead, they steal the names and photographs of real, respected people whose public profiles lend instant credibility. Their conversations soon moved from the pen-pal website to private messaging. He claimed he could not voice or video call because of the covert nature of his work in Africa. Every morning there would be a message waiting. Every evening another conversation. Diana recalls: “He was just the person I’d been looking for. He was kind and attentive and would ask how I was, what I was doing. “We became very close, even though we’d not actually spoken or seen each other. Then he told me he loved me. And I believed I was in love with him too.” The scammer didn’t immediately ask for money, but instead, invested months building trust. Only after around three months did the conversation change. He explained that while serving in Mali he had discovered a cache of gold that was legally his, but needed transporting through Turkey to reach Britain. His finances were tied up in a joint account with his estranged wife. He asked if Diana could help, and asked if she could send £4,000. To reinforce the story, he produced official-looking documents bearing what appeared to be London Port Authority stamps and certificates. Diana remembers: “They looked so genuine. There were certificates and stamps and everything.” But the costs kept rising. Storage charges increased. Shipments were held up. More fees were needed. Each explanation sounded plausible on its own, but together they formed part of a carefully orchestrated deception, and each payment made the next one psychologically easier. Diana recalls: “There was always an excuse. Always another reason why more money had to be paid. But I believed him.” She dipped deeper into her savings. £5,000. £10,000. Once even £20,000. A total of 16 bank transfers. Diana says: “It all came from my savings. In the end almost everything I had put aside for my retirement was gone. “This was my children’s inheritance. What had I done?” Then the fake officer told her he was finally coming home. He even sent her a copy of his airline boarding pass, the flight number, departure details and arrival time at Heathrow. Diana telephoned the airline, only to find no one by his name was on the flight. Still hoping, Diana travelled to Heathrow to meet him. He never appeared. She finally demanded he call her so she could hear his voice. She says: “That’s when the penny dropped. “Instead of the cultured tone of a British officer, it was someone speaking in a foreign accent. I was devastated.” When she threatened to go to the police, the fraudster told her the gold shipment was illegal and she would be implicated. She was terrified. What finally ended the deception was her bank noticing the extraordinary pattern of payments leaving her account. Staff persuaded her to go to the police. The man behind the scam, Maxwell Rusey, was later arrested and jailed for five years for fraud at Woolwich Crown Court in September 2024. After contacting the Financial Ombudsman, Halifax reimbursed every penny of the £128,000 Diana had lost. And she has since found happiness with a new man in her life, one she did not meet online. But she still cannot bring herself to tell her son what happened. She says: “You don’t want to tell anybody because you think they’ll blame you. “These romance fraudsters do not target people because they are gullible. “They target you because you’re lonely. They’re very clever. “They win your emotions over. And if you’re vulnerable, they’ll use that against you. “The moment they ask for money, that’s it. Walk away.” A spokesperson for the National Crime Agency said: “Romance fraud is a serious crime. Victims are not only losing sometimes life-changing sums of money, it can do enormous damage to the confidence, trust and faith that victims place in themselves and their relationships, as we can see from Diana, who has bravely shared her story. “That is why the NCA is actively targeting and disrupting the criminals behind romance fraud through investigations and intelligence sharing domestically and internationally. “Diana is incredibly brave to come forward. We hope it will serve as a warning to thousands of vulnerable potential victims.” Great TV Marketing Director Kate Gartland said: “When the NCA shared with us some horror stories about romance fraud, we knew we could support their campaign in a unique way, reaching an audience that loves a love story, via a medium that has huge impact. “We’re here to entertain them with the romantic content they adore, and now we’re proud to be helping to protect them. “This joint campaign with the NCA will give viewers the awareness they need to spot the tells, and protect themselves and their friends and family from these devastating crimes. “Romance fraudsters, unlike most media agencies and buyers, know that heartland TV ’55+’ audiences have the most disposable cash to spend, or to lose.” *Names have been changed