Our mum’s lost everything after being scammed by her catfish boyfriend…but she still thinks he’s the real deal
TWO women have told how their mum has been “blinded by love” and “lost everything” due to online scammers.
Stacey and Traci claim their mum Gail, who previously handed over £180k to a ‘catfish‘ named ‘Fallon Galvin,’ is being scammed by her online boyfriend of four years, ‘Matt Hurley,’ who she got talking to just one month later.
They claim their mum’s even been living without running water and heating so she can send him money – and has since given him over £9.4k in gift cards.
However, Gail insists that ‘Matt Hurley’ is the real deal, but is stuck in Nigeria and can’t afford a plane ticket to the US.
Appearing on US talk show Dr Phil, Gail explains: “Matt became a marine engineer but the oil rig that he was working on off the coast of Venezuela got damaged and he had to go to Nigeria to purchase materials to repair the oil rig.
“Unfortunately, he’s not able to purchase a ticket to get back to the states.
“Matt’s been living in a hotel in Warri, Nigeria for the last two years.
“Matt and I don’t have the funds to purchase the plane ticket for his return to the states.”
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Speaking to Dr Phil, Stacey says: “I’m frustrated, I’m sick to my stomach, I’m overwhelmed and I’m at my wits’ end with it.
“I’ve told her from the get-go these are scammers, to stop talking to them but she’s stubborn…she’s going to do what she wants to do
and this is what’s happened.”
When Dr Phil sends a producer to Warri, Nigeria, he confirms that the employees on the oil rig where ‘Matt Hurley’ claims to work have never seen or heard of the guy in the photos.
What’s more is that Stacey and Traci have previously done a Google image search and discovered that the man in the photos is actually a motivational speaker in Venezuela named Carlos Fraga.
Dr Phil notes that after doing their own investigation, he can confirm that Stacey and Traci’s findings are correct.
Speaking to Carlos via video link, Dr Phil asks him whether he knows Gail in any way and whether he’s ever had any contact with her.
“No, I’ve never seen her before,” he confirms.
Dr Phil then proceeds to ask Gail how it feels to see the man she knows as ‘Matt Hurley’ talking in real time.
“Well, I did know about this motivational speaker,” she admits.
“I did know about him, but someone asked me the other day about him and I said, ‘well why can’t he have two careers?’
She continues: “I don’t know at what point in Matt’s life he went to college.
“How did I know that he wasn’t a motivational speaker for a few years and then went and got his engineer degree?
“But anyway, yes that’s that looks like the person that I’ve been supposedly talking to.”
Carlos quickly confirms that he’s never been to Nigeria, nor does he have two careers, where he works as a motivational speaker by night and an engineer by day.
He also confirms that he’s the man in the photos – and that his pictures must’ve been used by a ‘catfish.’
When asked whether she believes what he’s saying, a reluctant Gail says: “Well I guess.”
Dr Phil hits back: “What do you mean, you guess?
“We did a very deep dive…this man is not just somebody that we haven’t checked the background on.
“He’s internationally renowned as a motivational speaker.
“He’s known the world over, he’s written six books and 13 audiobooks.”
Dr Phil then asks Carlos, who has written six books and 13 audio books, what he wants to say to Gail, who thought she was in a relationship him for four years.
“I’m very sorry and we have to be more aware and more vigilant because there are many people who are trying to to fake people out,” he warns.