Internet in Stitches As White Man Loses R1.9M to Non-Existent Kenyan Woman in Romance Scam
The internet has been left in stitches after a report surfaced of a 69-year-old man from Leiston, Suffolk, England, who was scammed out of his life savings by a Kenyan woman who never existed. Rodrick Lodge has been left homeless and is “truly suffering” after being tricked into sending £85,000.
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A Love Story Turned Nightmare
Lodge was introduced to the supposed ‘woman’ by a friend he met three years ago in Kenya. Over time, they built a relationship online, and Lodge found himself falling in love for the first time since the death of his wife, Pauline, in 2019. He even agreed to move to Nairobi to marry her.
However, what Lodge thought was romance turned out to be an elaborate scam that drained his entire life savings.
“She said she had a four-bedroom house but to get married I would need to give her a dowry, so I agreed to do up her house for her, that was the agreement,” said Mr Lodge.
Lodge began sending money for various renovations, convinced by pictures of the house being upgraded and intimate photos that she sent him. The ‘woman’ had claimed to be the managing director of a beauty products company with around 30 employees, further convincing Lodge that she was the real deal.
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Mr Lodge Uncovers the Shocking Truth
However, when it was finally time for him to fly to Kenya to meet his bride-to-be, things took a devastating turn. Upon arriving at the airport, Anita was nowhere to be found. Each time he tried to meet her, there was a new excuse.
After some investigation, Lodge discovered that ‘Anita’ didn’t exist—it was his friend, the one who had introduced them, behind the entire scam. Heartbroken and penniless, Lodge flew back to the UK, where he spent three nights sleeping rough at Heathrow Airport. He is now living in a homeless shelter in Woking, with little hope for the future.
Internet in Stitches As White Man Loses £85k to Non-Existent Kenyan Woman in Romance Scam
After the story was shared by the BBC on X (formerly Twitter), users responded with dark humour and warnings about romance scams. Here are some of the reactions:
@WokeWarrior923:
Should’ve known when her dowry request included a Ferrari and beachfront property.
@KennethBBoman:
If it looks to good to be true then it’s not true!
@markusgreiner:
Your lucky! Imagine she would have married you, you would be paying even more.
@aimyaimless:
Why do ppl looking for love think giving away money is the answer?
@ThinkySherlock:
😅 wanted to taste that dark berry before going 6 feet under 😂, but alas!