Rachel Elwell - Victim of Fraud of over £100k

On 1 April 2021, my world came crashing down around me, as I faced the realisation that I was the victim of a serious and cruel fraud.

 

'Stephen' or 'Bario', as he preferred to be called, contacted me on the Facebook dating app on 1 January 2021.

 

He explained that he had been widowed 7 years earlier, when his wife died of breast cancer and he had been solely responsible for bringing up, his then 10 year old daughter alone, as they both coped with their overwhelming grief.


We seemed to have a lot in common – we both had dogs, (this is my background picture on Facebook) we liked walking, dancing, travelling, laughing etc and the conversations felt honest and open.

 

The photos he sent to me appeared to show an attractive, intelligent, thoughtful and loving man.

 

The photos with his daughter were really sweet.  They were obviously very close.

 

Bario and his daughter Katy lived in Coventry, only 25 miles away from me and we planned to meet up as soon as Covid (the lockdown) would allow.

 

Our messages moved from Facebook to email by 6 January 2021, as Bario said women kept propositioning him on the Facebook dating App and he wanted to close his Facebook Account. 

 

I understood this, as it sometimes this happens with online dating.

 

On 11 January, Bario explained that he had been shortlisted for an engineering contract, he had been trying to secure for 4 months.

 

This contract was a government sector one, in which he helped to secure the funds for via UK investors and was then responsible for executing the contract to completion.

 

The contract worked in 3 phases -

 

Phase 1 – he would receive 30% of the contract value, travel to the country, complete the underground works by hiring local workers and equipment and buying materials and then return to the UK for a 3 week break, to complete the necessary documentation with his investors. He would then receive the next 30% contract value payment to complete phase 2

 

Phase 2 – he would return to the country, partially completing the above ground works, before returning to the UK for another 3 weeks break and receiving the final 40% contract value to return to the country to complete the project

 

Phase 3 – the project would be completed and he would return to the UK to receive full payment from the contracting firm in Cardiff, paying the investors and securing his final payment for the works

 

I understood from my career background that all of this made sense for foreign contractors working abroad with staggered payments and how projects were managed.  From securing the funding for them and completing the works, to the exacting standards of the local and national government standards in the respective countries.

 

On 12 January, Bario went to Cardiff for the interview.  He, along  with 4 other contractors, (out of the 36 that had applied), found out that they had been selected to complete the 5 projects, in Germany, Canada, Ukraine, Mexico and Japan, for the Ukraine project.

 

I was delighted for him, even though he was a little disappointed not to be going to Canada or Mexico, his preferred options!

 

The project value for the government financed petroleum and gas station in the Ukraine was £15,250,000!

 

Bario explained that he had been very down during lockdown and that ‘meeting’ me had cheered him up.



He also thought that I was his good luck charm, in helping him to win the contract.

 

Bario had to be in the Ukraine within 48 hours of securing the contract, so we continued to exchange a few whatsapp messages a day, leading up to our first phone call on 14 January, the night before he flew out to start work.

 

On 14 January, the night before his flight, he called me whilst he was packing, saying before he left the UK, he wanted to speak to me, to hear my voice and to reassure me, that we would meet up in 3 weeks’ time, after Phase 1 had been completed.

 

I said it was not a problem….work is important and I wasn’t going anywhere with covid.

 

We agreed to stay in contact and he then called me from the airport the next morning, 15 January to say goodbye.

 

I wished him a good flight and he even sent me a photograph of himself on the plane, blowing me a kiss!


 I waited to hear from Bario that he had arrived safely in the Ukraine on 16 January, but it wasn’t until the evening, when he contacted me from a Ukrainian mobile number, explaining that he couldn’t get international calls on his UK mobile and had been trying to, without success, all day.

 
I understood this, as few years earlier, I had been on holiday in the US and had the same problem with my phone.

 

Everything was okay with the works on site for a few days, but then on Tuesday 19 January, all work was forcibly stopped.

 

Bario’s equipment and materials were seized by the local tax (government) office.

 

The officials explained to Bario,that a few days prior to his arrival in the Ukraine, the law had changed, due to covid and foreign contractors had to pay their full tax bill, prior to commencement of the works, instead of mid or end project, as before. 

 

Bario hadn’t realised this, having applied for the contract 4 months earlier and had not considered reviewing local laws, as after over 30 years working as an engineer, all over the world, he had no reason to think that this would be a problem, as he hadn’t encountered it before.

 

Again, from my experience, taxes are required when working in foreign countries, so there was no reason for me to think that anything was wrong with this.

 

Bario said not to worry, as the tax bill of £457,500 had been budgeted for, as he and his investors were well aware it and he would apply to his investors, for an early, partial release of the phase 2 payment.

 

His investors refused to help him, saying that unexpected cost was his responsibility and that a contract was a contract.

 

This was when Bario first asked me for money…but not for the tax bill. 

 

He said that he had £20,000 left out of the phase 1 budget (to get an apartment for the duration of the project), after securing the workers, equipment and materials for the entire project.

 

He was going to offer this, plus a further £10,000, he’d managed to borrow from his friend Andrew in the UK, to the tax office.

 

Bario explained that by paying this £30,000 to the tax office, he wouldn’t have any money left for food and would need to stay in the hotel, until after completion of phase 1.

 

After a couple of days of considering his request, on 22 January, I reluctantly agreed to send him £250, for food and taxis to and from the site.

 

It seemed such a small amount of money, given his situation at the time.

 

I insisted that we do a video call, but both his iphone 8 camera/video and mine were playing up. 

 

We tried to do whatsapp, fact time and zoom calls, but both of our phones kept failing to keep the connection.

 

The tax office declined to accept the £30,000 saying it was a drop in the ocean, of the overall £457,000 tax bill, that was due.

 

I wasn’t surprised that they refused to accept it.

 

The Deputy Tax officer suggested Bario increase his offer to £57,500.

 

Bario asked for my help with the tax bill.

 

I spoke to my mom and my sister and explained the situation as a sensor check.

 

They said he appeared genuine and if he didn’t pay the tax bill, he would lose everything he’d ever worked for….which was for him to retire off the back of this project when he returned home.

 

On 25 January, I sent Bario £7500 out of my savings. 

 

I told him it was all that I could afford.

 

I said that he would need to find the other £20,000 and suggested he went to a local loan shark….saying that his interpreter, Pavel would probably know someone.

 

So, he did this, offering his laptop, UK iphone and a watch as collateral and agreeing to 50% interest on top of the loan of £10,000.  At this point, he owed the loan shark, who he described as a vicious Russian gangster, £30,000.

 

On 26 January, Bario sent me a copy of the letter from the Tax Office, confirming that £57,000 had been receipted, (he kept the remaining £500 for food and taxis to site).

 

The tax office said it wasn’t enough, but agreed that if he paid 35% of the tax bill, a total of £159,940 he could re-commence work on site, which meant, he had another £102,940 to find.

 

I had no idea what we were going to do now.


I couldn’t believe it….he was crying and begging me to forgive him for what he was putting me through, but pleading with me to help him. 

 

Bario insisted that he would pay me back every penny he owed me and more when he returned to the UK to collect the phase 2 payment in February.

 

I was torn….feeling sorry for him, that he had made such a mistake with the tax, but having their letter, believing that by paying the £159,940, Bario could complete phase 1, return home safely and pay me back and of course everyone else who had helped him, like his friend Andrew.

 

So, Bario cashed in his pension early (as he’d just had his 55th birthday) which gave him £35,000, sold his car for £10,000, borrowed £4,000 off his credit card, borrowed £5,000 from his housekeep/nanny Melanie, borrowed a further £5,000 from Andrew and he was still short.

 

He encouraged me to apply for a loan….which I did.  I managed to secure £15,000 and with £7900 savings, I sent him £22,900 on 4 February.

 

It wasn’t enough….we were still short….so I applied for a £12,000 loan, which I secured and sent to him on 5 February.  He had to use £1,000 of this for the hotel, as he needed to stay for almost another month.

 

We were still £10,000 short.

 

Again, he visited the Russian gangster, as there were no other options.

 

After much begging, the loan shark agreed to lend him the final £10,000 for the tax bill, charging £5,000 interest.

 

On 8 February, he sent me the videos showing that all of the work on site had re-started!  He was thanking me for my help in getting the project back up and running.

 

I was relieved.

Bario emailed his UK investors to delay his arrival back into the UK, from the original 7 February, to the 28 February and sent me his new flight booking.

 

1 extension to the deadline set by Bario, meant that there was no financial penalty, so we were all set to go!


We had done it…..he was coming home.  He would pay me back.

 

During all of this trauma surrounding the tax, Bario said that he was eternally grateful for my help and understanding, was so in love with me, could not wait to come back to England and that I would never regret helping him.

 

On his daughters’ life, he would pay me and everyone else back.

 

He was happy, relieved and everything would work out.

 

He said he would travel together, that I’d never have to worry about money again, as he would pay for everything.

 

I said that I would pay my own way, as I had always been independent and would pay my own way.

 

We planned to go to dancing classes together, on dog walks, and to just enjoy life, with lots of laughing and plenty of fun.

 

It was all conversation to help us to think past the tax problem, until we could meet face to face in England.

 

Bario said, as he would be retiring, he would build us a house, well within his capability, as a qualified engineer….all nice thoughts, but in reality a far off dream, until he arrived back to the UK safely and paid off everything he owed.

 

Bario then called to say that the tractor on site had problems…as it had been left standing for so long, whilst he negotiated the tax bill.

 

I understood that this can sometimes happen to equipment, if it is left out in the elements and is not working.

 

The repair costs were almost £12,000…..but I had invested so much already …I had no choice but to try to raise this, otherwise, the project would be delayed, Bario would not be home for even longer and by missing his investors deadline, there would be a financial penalty.

 

I raised the money by doing a money transfer from my credit card.  

 

A few days later, the project was behind and Bario needed money for 3 additional workers, to ensure that the deadline of the end of February was met.

 

I managed to do a further £3,000 money transfer on my credit card and £1,5000 cash to raise this £4,500.

 

On 27 February, after his covid test, Bario went back to his hotel and was met by armed guards, sent by the loan shark.

 

Their boss wanted his £30,000 now that phase 1 was complete.

 

He had Bario under surveillance since he had loaned him the money, watching the progress on site….making sure his investment was safe.

 

Obviously, Bario did not have the money to pay the loan back.

 

He explained to the loan shark, that he needed to return to the UK to receive phase 2 payment, but the gangster wasn’t having any of it.

 

He said if Bario was unable to pay, he would be held against his will.

 

They threw him in the cellar of the loan sharks house, under 24 hour armed guard, threatening to kill him if he didn't pay the money he owed.

 

Bario called me 14 hours before his flight was due to land at Birmingham airport, where I was going to pick him up…..he was hysterical and so was I.

 

He sent me photos of him lying on the floor of the cellar, where he was being held against his will. They were heart breaking. 


The gangster said that his life was worthless…..he wasn’t bothered if Bario lived or died, but he was not losing face in the community, by letting him leave without paying the money…so if he lost his life, it was of no consequence to him.

 

He said that he knew people and no-one would report him.

 

Bario had no electricity, he was washing from a bucket and hose.  All of his belongings taken away from him….but, they said they would charge his mobile phone up and return it to him, so that he could  contact family and friends to raise the money for his release.

 

On 1 March, Bario’s UK investors sent him a letter to confirm the successful completion of phase 1, following the inspection by the local delegate and said that they would prepare his payment for phase 2,  in readiness for his return to the UK.

 

He had met the re-arranged deadline and could travel back to the UK in his own time.

 

What choice did I have….Bario was being held by armed guards….I had pictures of him locked up.

 

I truly believed that they would kill him if we didn’t raise the money….he kept saying his life was over.  He told Katy he wasn’t coming home.  She almost had a breakdown.

 

I had to help him, but how?


 
At this point, I was really scared.  Bario was hysterical, saying he had to accept his fate, that it was all over.

 

He kept begging me to help him. I said that I didn’t have any more money, but his life was worth more than money and we needed to involve the police and the UK Embassy. 

 

Bario was scared…..he didn’t want the authorities involved…..because, due to him having negotiated a minimum tax payment, he was scared he would be deported and/or prosecuted for tax irregularities and may not be allowed to return to the Ukraine to finish Phases 2 & 3.

 

At this point, I was in text communication with his daughter, Katy. She was distraught and messaging me, saying she was relying on me to get her dad home…..he was all she had.

 

Melanie, the housekeeper/nanny was texting me saying how useless she felt, how helpless that was, that she couldn’t raise any more money.

 

I respected his wishes about not involving the authorities, despite how terrified I was, how hysterical he was and how unreal this situation was.

 

 

How could this be happening to me?

 

How could this be happening to him?

 

My dilemma now was...how do I get him home safely? I needed him to come home to pay me back, but more importantly, I didn't want his daughter to lose her only surviving parent.



I truly believed from all of the information, documents & photographs I had received from Bario since January 2021, that he was going to be murdered, if I didn't help him & that his blood would be on my hands....something I could not consider for a moment.

 

The pressure I was under, whilst I was not locked up in a cellar with him, felt as if I had a gun to my head and that I was the only person who could help him, as he had been orphaned when he was 17, didn't have any siblings and also had no other living relatives.

 

My mom and sister were involved from the beginning….they believed that Bario was telling the truth.  Everything he had said was so complex, elaborate and serious, that it had to be true didn’t it?

 

The whole story was incredible.

 

At this point, I did not want to get involved any further.

 

I wasn't eating. I wasn't sleeping. When I didn't hear from Bario as expected/arranged, I thought that he had been murdered.

 

So, what could I do? I felt that his life was in my hands. Who else was going to help him? He kept crying and begging me to help him.

 

On 5 March, I borrowed £30,000 - £15,000 from a third loan and £15,000 from another money transfer from a second credit card, to get him out of the locked cellar and to save his life.

 

It took until 9 March to get this money to the Ukraine, because Santander had recognised the unusual activity on my account and had stopped the £30,000 transfer to the Ukraine.

 

Police officers from the West Midlands Economic Crime Victim Care unit arrived at my house on Friday 5 March, sent by Santander to question me about my relationship with Bario, as my bank were worried.

 

Whilst I did not have a gun to my head, it felt as if I did.  If I alerted them to Bario’s situation …the gangsters could kill him …so I lied and said everything was okay.

 

This is something I am completely ashamed of, to this day.

 

So, as Santander had refused to send the £30,000 to the Ukraine, I transferred the money to my HSBC bank account instead.

 

I had to get the money to Bario to pay the gangsters, so that they would let him go.

 

I sent £20,000 to Melanie’s Lloyds bank account for her to forward onto the Ukraine and sent the remaining £10,000 directly to the Ukraine.

 

On Tuesday 9 March, the £30,000 was offered to the Russian gangster to secure Bario’s release.

 

He counted it 3 times and then asked for the £15,000 interest for him to have his passport returned to him.

 

Oh my God……this couldn’t be happening…he had his money, said that Bario could pay the interest back at his leisure…now he’d moved the goalposts.

 

I had no options left….I couldn’t get any money….I was distraught, crying hysterically to my mom and my sister.

 

How on earth could we save his life?

 

How the hell were we ever going to get him home?

 

It was an impossible situation.

 

I felt helpless.

 

Everything I had done, all of the money I had sent, every time I had reassured him that he would be okay, I would help him, it would all be okay….I didn’t even believe this myself anymore.

 

My sister agreed to raise the money to get his passport back….he had to come back to the UK and sort everything out.

 

She managed to get a bank loan of £11,500 and she topped it up to £12,200 with her savings.  I scraped together £1,600 which made it £13,800 and Melanie had raised the balance of £1,200 to achieve the total of £15,000 for the passport.
Melanie sent me the receipts for the balance transfers to the Ukraine.

 

By Friday 12 March, Bario was free.  He went to immigration with the money I had sent to him…..another £4,000, I had raised by topping up my car loan.

 

He paid the £2,900 immigration overstay and booked his fast track covid test and his flights.

 

He sent me the booking details.


Finally, Bario was due to fly back to the UK on 16 March. Everything was arranged. I went to Heathrow Airport.

 

30 minutes before his flight was due to land, I received an email from an Ukrainian Airport official, to say Bario had been arrested, but they did not explain, why, only that they were investigating.

 

I panicked and spoke to Border Forces at Heathrow, who said the email was probably fake, but given the history (that they weren’t aware of….I didn’t know what to think).

 

I hoped and prayed that he would be on the flight and this nightmare would finally be over.

 

Border Forces told me to wait for him to get off the plane, but that the queue for immigration was very long.

 

So…..I waited….people were coming through arrivals in dribs and drabs…..

 

3 hours later, I received another email from the same Ukrainian aiport official.

 

This time he explained that Bario was only carrying hand luggage and that he saw an elderly gentleman struggling with his bags, so helped him to carry his luggage .

 

Unfortunately, when the bags went through the scanner, the one Bario had been carrying for this man was found to have cocaine in it.

 

The email said that when the elderly gentleman was questioned, he had taken full responsibility for the bag and drugs, confirming that Bario was not involved, but whilst Bario was innocent, the airport wanted money ‘under the table’ to enable him to fly back safely to the UK.

 

They were demanding a ransom payment of £55,000.

 

I couldn’t reach Bario, so on advice of Border Forces, called the Police from Heathrow Aiport.

 

It was during this phone call, that Bario finally called me and confirmed he was now being held at the airport in the Ukraine. 

 

I couldn’t believe it….how could his have happened after everything else we’d been through.

 

I screamed and swore at Bario, asking him what the hell had happened, how could he have been so stupid.

 

He said that when he had put the phone down to me at 7.17am, he was so excited to be coming home, that he just wanted to help this elderly gentleman, as anyone would.

 

I said that everyone knows, you do not touch anyone else’s baggage at the airport.

 

The airport officials wanted to make an example of Bario and assumed that as he was a UK citizen/passport holder, he came from an affluent country and the fact that he was already working on a contract in the Ukraine underlined this.

 

I screamed at Bario hysterically ….asking  him how he could do this to me, how he could risk his life and his freedom with such a stupid act.

 

I was in London, having driven there for 3 hours, with no money and was now abandoned, after waiting for him to arrive.

 

He had never even boarded the plane.

 

We were so close and he did this.  In that moment, I hated him, hated what he had done to himself, hated what he had done to me and his daughter and everyone else he owed money to. 

 

We were all relying on him to come home safely and then to settle all of the debts we had incurred to save his life.

 

I don’t remember driving home from London, but I did get a speeding fine. 

 

I have since been offered a driver awareness course, at an approximate cost of £100…. money I don’t have.

 

How I didn't crash the car, I do not know…..but….I didn’t actually care anymore.

 

We were all out of money. How could we get him home? I had spoken to his housekeeper in the UK and she was going to try to raise more money to help to get Bario home, but she had struggled with what she’d already raised.

 

Throughout this period, I had also been messaging his daughter in the UK, who was extremely distressed.

 

During the next couple of days, the 2 payments totalling £23,975 I had sent on 5& 9 February, had been returned to Santander, minus costs for the exchange rate, so around £22,700.

 

The beneficiary bank in the Ukraine would not accept them….most likely for the same reason that Santander were worried about my banking activity…suspicious of fraud.

 

I settled my overdrafts, as I couldn’t afford the charges and then sent £10,850 of this money to Melanie.

 

She topped this up with £1,150….money she had borrowed from friends, which meant we could send £12,000 to the Ukraine.

 

It was nowhere near enough, but was a start and would maybe open up negotiations with Bario’s captors.

 

I managed to raise another £17,500, which was the balance of the £22,700, cash withdrawals from credit cards and money borrowed for a friend.

 

This made the offer to the aiport officials up to £25,000, plus £500 for Bario’s covid test and flight home and £5,000 for the interpreter, as the returned Santander funds hadn’t been credited to his account in February.

 

I bought £17,500 worth of crypto currency, as it was an instant payment, in the hope that this would secure Bario’s release, as quickly as possible.

 

When Bario offered this money to the airport officials on 29 March, they refused to accept this payment, as it was nowhere near the £55,000 they had demanded in their ransom email.

 

A fight broke out…Bario was beaten by the 4 officials, who kept the £25,500 and locked him up again.

 

There were no other options…no other way of getting money….there was no way out.

 

The airport officials said, no-one knows you are here, you could just disappear and no-one would ever know.

 

They refused to give him his phone…I thought he was dead.

 

How on earth was I going to get him home safe.

 

They told Bario, that if he got them another £10,000 they would set him free….but there was no way to get this.

 

I woke up on Thursday 1 April and called the mini garage.

 

I drove there and they agreed to give me £12,000 for my car, which was enough money to send to Bario and also to pay the April bills that were due, for the loans and credit card payments.

 

I had arranged to go to Bario’s house in Coventry to meet his daughter on the afternoon of 1 April.

 

I had spoken to Melanie at 11am that day and told her that we were working on a plan to get Bario home.

 

She said she was looking forward to finally meeting me.

 

We both felt it would be good for Katy, we could all support each other.

 

As I left my house at 2.45pm….Bario called me and he was happy to be finally coming home.

 

He was relieved that I’d managed to secure the final £10,000 and for the first time in days…weeks, he stopped saying that his life was over.

 

We got cut off.

 

I arrived at his house at 3.45pm and found that there wasn't anyone at the house called Melanie, no-one there called Katy.

 

In that instant, I just knew that it was all a lie.

 

I felt sick, numb.  How could a human being make up such elaborate lies, send such convincing pictures and documents….tell someone that their life was in your hands.

 

How could this be all a lie, a cruel scam?

 

I drove around the corner from the house and called my mom.

 

I said, “mom, it’s all a lie”.

 

She broke down, then quickly recovered, telling me I had to get home.

 

My first feeling was relief……relief that his life (whoever ‘he’ was) was no longer my responsibility, that his life was not in danger and I wasn't responsible for whether he lived or died.

 

These thoughts had been keeping me awake at night, stopping me from eating.

 

My next and almost immediate feeling was, that I was now facing bankruptcy, or at least financial ruin.

 

During all of this time, I hadn't considered the impact of what the debt of almost £113,000 would do to me. After all, I was safe and well at home.

 

How could I put a price on Bario's life …which I believed was on the line.

 

How do I survive this? How could I at 50 years old, be facing the prospect of losing everything I'd ever worked for, because of an evil human being, pretending that his life was in my hands.

 

So, today, my banks are investigating the fraud, as are my creditors….all of whom are very sympathetic to my circumstances.

 

Many of them have said, that whilst they unfortunately have to deal with fraud cases on a daily basis, that mine is one of, or is the worst case that they have ever heard.

 

I am currently awaiting the outcome of these investigations.

 

The banks and the Police have said not to count on me getting any money back and or criminal proceedings happening.

 

They are doing their best.

 

In the meantime, I am doing my best to survive.

 

Anyone who knows me, knows what a strong person I am, what a survivor I am.

 

They also know that since 1 April, I have been planning my own suicide....but, I have to fight. I have to get through this.

 

I have to go public, to prevent other people from going through the hell I have been through.

 

If you are still reading this, thank you.

 

Obviously, if the gofundme page raises any money, it will be used to pay off my creditors.

 

Until this happened to me, the only debts I had were my mortgage and car loan, like most people.

 

Currently, whilst my banks and my creditors investigate this fraud, the bills/debts I owe are on hold, to give me breathing space to decide on an IVA, bankruptcy, or debt management. 

 

Therefore, any financial help I receive, is needed as soon as possible.

 

All I want now, is to get my life back and to help to warn other people about this type of fraud.

 

If anyone does want to help me, I will be eternally grateful.

 

If you just share my story with other people, to warn them about ‘Romance Fraud’, thank you.

 

I don’t want anyone else to suffer as I have, to believe that whether someone lives or dies, is in their hands.

 

For those of you who don’t know….I didn’t, before I became a victim of this crime….‘Romance Fraud’ is serious organised crime for the sole purpose of money laundering.

 

These sophisticated and very manipulative criminals target good, caring, compassionate, people.

 

However, I did not choose to be a victim of crime.

 

I thought I was doing the right thing.

 

No-one should ever be put in this position, because they care about others.

 

Without my family members and friends, I wouldn’t have had any money for food, or fuel for my car, or even to pay this months’ bills.

 

I have never in 50 years, ever asked for help.  I have always been very independent and financially stable.

 

Doing this gofundme is difficult….asking for help is difficult, as I am usually the one giving help to others.

 

Thank you for reading.

 

Please share my story, so that your sister, friend, cousin, neighbour is not the next victim of ‘Romance Fraud’.