Romance scam victim travels 700km 'to marry French beauty queen'
Michel's misadventure became known after a video of his unfortunate encounter with the couple was shared online by Fabien.For weeks, the Belgian - a widower of four years - had been communicating on WhatsApp with who he thought was Ms Vouzelaud, former Miss Limousin and first runner-up to Miss France in 2007.He turned up outside the couple's property in Saint-Julien, some 420km (270 miles) south of Paris, on 9 July and according to Fabien said: "I am the future husband of Sophie Vouzelaud", to which he retorted: "Well, I'm the current one."Ms Vouzelaud, 38, then tried to explain to him that he had been swindled and the couple urged him to go to the police to file a complaint. It is not clear if he has done so.Romance fraud is when someone is conned into sending money to a criminal who convinces them they are in a genuine relationship.
How to avoid romance scams
According to Action Fraud, signs of romance fraud include a person being secretive about their relationship or becoming hostile or angry when asked about their online partner.They may have sent, or be planning to send, money to someone they have never met in person.Advice for protecting yourself against scams includes:Be suspicious of any requests for money from someone you have never met in person, particularly if you have only recently met onlineSpeak to your family or friends to get adviceProfile photos may not be genuine, so do your research first. Performing a reverse image search using a search engine can help you find photos that have been stolen from somewhere elseAdvice for supporting a victim of a scam includes:Reassure your loved one you are there for them and it is not their faultImprove your own understanding about romance scamsRemember to look after yourself, too - supporting someone through romance fraud can be toughSource: Action Fraud / Victim Support
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Wales Online
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Crooked finance manager who stole £140,000 from employers to pay back £72,000
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Daily Mail
11 hours ago
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And while Gravelines is perhaps the favourite launch-spot for people smugglers' dinghies, there are of course numerous other beaches spread over some 100 miles of coastline, from the Belgian border to Le Touquet, Berck, and beyond to the south. Here, the people smuggling gangs and the migrants typically paying £1,200 a fare for their places on these 'taxi boats' were launching apparently at will, after several days of no launches due to poor weather. In theory, under Labour's new deal the first small boat arrivals could be detained as early as today for possible removal to France. The deal will see migrants who came here illegally across the Channel exchanged 'one for one' with others still in France. 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They simply watched as the largest of the migrant groups, on the east end of the beach, patiently awaited the first of two taxi boats. We had seen the first 30ft long dinghy arrive from the western, Calais side of Gravelines, at 6.30am. It chugged parallel to the coast, as much as a mile off shore, as if towards Belgium. Migrants are said to pay people smugglers between £1,200 to £2,000 to be taken across the Channel French police today held back from firing tear gas, probably because it would have instantly dispersed in the brisk winds coming in from the sea, and the migrants were anyway dispersed over such a wide area There were already maybe 40 men aboard, sat on the sides, an unusually high proportion wearing bright-orange life jackets. To anyone concerned about health and safety, it was full. But to the people smugglers, and indeed the migrants whose hearts are set on England, there was room to cram 40 more in the middle. It loitered way off the beach for half an hour, with the riot police arriving and heading eastwards in front of the dunes in an apparent bid to head off any migrants, as yet out of sight, hoping to be picked up. It soon became obvious it was a hopeless police effort, when the migrants suddenly emerged either side of the officers, in their four separate groups – one simply walking down the side of the canal to the sea from where many dinghies here emerge. The other three groups of migrants came out of the dunes, one close to the canal and town of Gravelines on the west of the beach, the other two from the dunes to the east. Many ran, but not those close to the canal – it is hard to run with a toddler on your shoulders, and some half a dozen men in this group had just that. By shortly after 7am there were some 120 migrants at the shoreline or already in the sea. Then the first taxi boat dinghy pulled close to two merged groups on the shore on the eastern end of the beach, and around two thirds of the 60 there climbed aboard. It only took them a couple of minutes to board, but turned into a lengthy process as, amid significant waves, some were told to leave, and others manhandled the dinghy to point towards England. And all while the police watched from 50 yards away. As that first boat headed for Dover, a second dinghy emerged from the end of the Gravelines' sea canal, fully laden – and without turning set off straight for England. But then a third dinghy arrived from the west. Again, it had some 40 men already aboard, but chugged towards the western end of the beach, and collected around half of the 60 migrants waiting there, including some of the toddlers. Two police officers watched from beside their Landcruiser, but the riot squad did not even run to get close. Within minutes this third dinghy had followed the other two towards England, leaving several dozen migrants to trudge disappointedly back towards the bus stop, and bus, towards their camp a few miles away, having been told their boats were too full. Afghan migrant Achmed, 28, was left standing on the sand with his son Mustafa, two, on his shoulders, and wife Moska by his side. Achmed said: 'We were supposed to go to the UK today – I've been here four or five days, and it still hasn't happened. 'They said this boat was too full, with about 80 persons already. We are paying 2,000 Euros each.' When will he try again?
