originally maintainance grip on both in the regions and domestically as long as the country is left by religious hardliners, things are unlikely to change. this is marie, a german woman who lost 130000 euros in an online romance scam. she's come to a court in nigeria seeking justice in 2018. marie fell in love online with a man using a fake identity. it was a typical romance scam, sometimes called cat fishing. fraudsters make victims believe they've found true love, then sheet them out of their money. now, these are all records of the transfers i made,

which was i felt under enormous pressure tons, 1751001401900. i feel completely stupid and it's unbelievable what you end up doing in that situation. that's more of that port. most victims never see their money again and many perpetrators never get caught. but marie managed to do something do victims. can. she worked out her scamarus true identity and he was supposedly a business man with a good life from italy and the us on. when i exposed him, i found out he was in nigeria. now maria's set to meet the man in person for the 1st time in court and then jerry and capital boucher offensive. i'm really nervous because i'm about to look him in the eyes. the oaks on reading the,

the maurice ordeal began in 2018 with a short message. as i'm telling you, i don't remember how i said my instagram account to public, to reach more people for my business. and we stay home until. yeah, i hear on a quick the type a short time later i got a message that said hello, beautiful. hope i don't bother you. beautiful. hope i don't both are you is fine. my thought it was nice because he apologized for disturbing me. so we started chatting a decision and set the intake boot as a slot, as, as that was the 1st picture he sent me out of the junky, introduced himself as

a business man who wanted to collaborate with me pretty much to this is, this is him with his son, the what at this point it got more personal and pretty quickly he told me his back story just said he was divorced and caring for his children season. so hopefully somebody can not, school not, didn't on come. then this kind of picture came along to that. he quickly went into conquest mode, telling me i was beautiful. he thought i was such a strong woman. of course i was flattered to begin with. i didn't want to contemplate that it might not be real for marie was suffering from depression at the time, but didn't want to burden her family. the man saw his chance, had done all. he suggested trips to the bahamas and other places. i loved the idea of going to the states or having coffee with him by the spanish steps in rome. stuff like that. coffee to think no spanish and

a bad one. so i hit in marie gradually began to trust the man before long, they were chatting every day. then he asked her for money. i knew how all my alarm bells were ringing. i saw a truck. oh good. he wants money. a lot of us, but i was shocked with that because it wasn't like that. it didn't feel like it could actually be a scam, have to kind of for understood as it's touch base on kevin's, i'm calling to remind you kinds of, of what he was like. know how can you say that can you should know me by now. after that he goes to me and didn't get in touch, which made me worry. yeah. that's how he was able to manipulate me psychologically . marie asked for a copy of his passport as security on the top. i didn't notice that it was fake. he promised to pay her back quickly. yeah, i thought okay,

it's just 1200 euros. not that that's nothing. but it would just be a one time thing and then i need it. but things didn't stop there. back in nigeria, the court cases supposed to have begun the missing here. i'm just waiting here on my own. maurice lawyer is also wondering why things aren't getting underway of what has happened. so i think is a be because it does it seem today the judge is in the conference and all the cases slipped out for the to the uh being that judge did extra is keeping those dates in november. so you will have to write an application

to the parts and then there'll be no hearing today, even though marie traveled all the way from germany. come on. wow. it's very different to germany. to watch it, but nobody seems that upset or bothered about it trying to talk kind of what else to do and what else is to come on. it seems marie, may have missed her chance to confront her online scammer. but then this happens hey, how are you? what are you at the courthouse? well, i knew i want to see you come to me. whereabouts are you come to clot 12? 0 god i'm you don't. can you just called and asked where i was already been. and i asked him the same thing. he said he was in the court house and wanted to know

which room i was in the garden invoices this information called me from cisco to outside to come. he's on his way. i'm nervous of my hearts pounding and have but the minutes ticked by and the man doesn't appear that's not him. the more lies the psychological warfare is typical for him. maybe if he gets in touch and promises something and then doesn't come through. hello well i you do you want to talk to me? yeah, i want to see you. i want to let look into your eyes and bring your good. uh, also okay. okay. by

the marine, the man agreed to meet in the evening. together with their lawyers. they'll discuss an out of court settlement, but there's no knowing whether he'll actually show up the before leaving for nigeria. marie met with cause cross from a german victim support organization called advice of being or white ring. she told them about her experience spa, i'm to begin with. i might have been emotionally dependent about me, then it turned into something more like being a prisoner. i wanted to get out, but i couldn't have, i was always confident. yeah. i so i need see, somebody can see here one things for certain your not to blame in the slightest. yeah. we work on so many criminal cases and we know that every perpetrator is specially trained when it comes to the way they talk to you and everything else is

so hitting, a screeching issued insect. they chum, you, they make you feel secure. is this a will do free speech? you're going to be false. keep one, the thing have i had got to didn't. so he was there at the time when i needed help . when i wasn't doing well with me, i'm going keep silva void. i was feeling the oddities dog dispute. he knew what he was doing and just thought that will give us this understanding. was he groomed you quoted me rep if i felt paralyzed video, everything hurt to be a good time explicitly. smith with the beast, and you've been through so much, sorry for us, and it's including no need to apologize on the hope to have such respect for what you've decided to do. i think everyone has that coverage to scan is wouldn't stand a chance. can you do you have to pass on your knowledge to the general public? this, this, the pride in my cfo marie 1st contacted the police at the end of

2018, but they didn't take her seriously. now she's decided to try again. hello, i'm officer cross. can i see it? yes, of course. at that point it says that the quantum it does off and back then the police man couldn't do anything about my situation. he couldn't help me. and in fact, he made fun of me. that was a real slap in the face because i knew myself that i'd been stupid, and i'd already been really critical of myself. and then to then hear the police say, you've been such a silly girl. as though it wasn't what i would have expected. then the police couldn't have offered to help me then in their filed a complaint and encouraged me to file one. no, i'm sorry. go to norman, i'm michelle. if they'd acted properly back then, i'd probably have got out of the situation much sooner. and i wouldn't have lost so

much money, and i do need to see that title on fucked is that i can tell you that if a complaint is made in this matter, we will investigate that. you know, not what's in fact, doesn't answer the question of why the investigation was so incredibly slow. when i filed the complaint before that, i couldn't understand it because i passed everything onto the police, all the fake documents. he sent me chat, transcripts, and so on. why does the victim have to do the detective work themselves? these are the, the do them in terms of that, like why can't the police do it? why is this is to get it as soon as it becomes about another country, it gets very difficult time because you need law enforcement treaty ask women, we're working on that. but sadly, we're not yet to the point where we can call somebody nigeria and say, we have this case here. see what you can do with the mountain guns. the somebody like that you missed in the german state of the various police received more than 450 reports of online romance scams. in 2023 alone, all in,

all scammers took around 5300000 years. the permission is cloud based on say it has always been a part of my life where i can lift myself. i've done drunk strength in content and image cost shots and quinta, i've lit a candle because i prayed for protection for the trip to nigeria. yeah, so it's a bit and also to give thanks that i made it through the last 5 years. miss baton, cuz i think i've got a good night syria. the court hearing has been postponed and marie doesn't know whether the man she met online will show up for the arrange meeting. if she gets stood up again, for whole trip will have been in vain. does

she think he'll still come? a community might. but i'd say it's unlikely find on the i have been calling the the lawyer to represent you. and i hope you could join us and a lawyer has been given me, excuse me, and he's no longer became his phone call and that she was not there when they have us do this, we make sure peskin too bad for me. i wrote that. i'm here, but he hasn't responded to me so sweet. okay, well, thank you. thank you. no problem. no, really about

today. i'm good with i'm, i'm, i'm expecting a tall man to walk in to be able to look him in the eyes and see that he is really lying. the police on flies, the money. my biggest hope is that we can agree that he'll give me my money back as soon as possible. maybe we'll just sort of get but this time, the man does show up, together with his lawyer. both want their faces blurred on film, yet smiley. indeed, we thought it was a case of sitting opposite him and really giving him a piece of my mind. mister ball, you could sense that he had done something bad. he looked at the floor, he looked away. he was subdued and quiet. nice. he used to shout at me when something didn't happen the way he wanted me to be forced to know. he was like

a dog with its tail between its legs. because when i put to the bottom, i do actually think he showed remorse and comfortable. a good type but it's still not clear whether marie will ever see for 130000 euros again the, the re is still dealing with the emotional effects of what happened in 2018. it's been been a small painting, allows me to get away from my problems and find peace, things along on them. and i've a whole total with the kids. i'm trying a picture where there's a landscape emerging from the fog monitor didn't need to have foreclosure. that's the, that's how you feel when you're being scammed. you enveloped in this fog?

tightened them on discomfort. and i'm beginning to emerge from it. i bought from you neighbor plaza. on is often be costing me. as the ordeal went on, marie began to see things more clearly as, as a speech, i always done him later when i knew he was a scammer, i asked for more and more photos on the slide and it started getting ridiculous. wow. how doesn't. and so in this one he just photoshop the head on top. it doesn't look really oh, i don't know. at some point, he was in hospital for an operation. he sent this picture, this equipment and it happened this class, the house. i'm good with me. i called and emailed the hospital. when do you have the officer? and they said they didn't know of any such patient calls. let me know that was

a got punched in a school district, but marie kept playing along with their scammer. she even gave him more money so as not to lose his trust. eventually she persuaded him to have a video call on that. and there was this guy looking at me. and the result i told you i have to pay the fee and then you'll get your money back and you pay $1750.00 us dollars tomorrow, and then you'll have it back soon. the man got increasingly careless. marie was on the verge of discovering his true identity as an item glitch. and i was actually relieved that he no longer had to lie to me. and he said me a whole lot of photos of himself, his family and friends, find some district on the end of them. he also sent a video you. in the video,

he and his cousins and some friends are walking by an elephant fountain. and essentially the mind is off, the fountain is quite distinctive. so i took a screenshot and use google image search to find it, published on the fun. for me, it's new, it'll be a real cool in delta state. and i jerry of that have states in the near for a place called mccarthy beach, beach of the no marie was able to expose the man and his network. she informs nigeria is financial crimes authority. the fcc justice. this is what the fcc posted after they arrested him. not in my in the

back in nigeria. larisse quest isn't over yet now, isn't it? we've come to been in the city because it's a hot bed of fraud. you could, you couldn't even take workshops here to learn the best methods to scam people. moving on to the thing. i'm here to get a sense of how it all works, staffing industry to investor one. yeah. own this is solomon. who says that he's going to help me stay safe and let him about. and also show me places where there are scammers. but 1st marine solomon decide to visit a ju ju priest. after the contact, one of his friends got in touch it and threatened me to call it on wooded. he told

me that if i didn't pay this thing of the priest would curse me and my family to mount. who do my name for me for food cannot get really upset me as my teeth good hoffman. i was scared laurise decided to find out for herself what's behind the practice. the the 1st the do, do priest demonstrates his supernatural powers day? let them think well as divides the mouth. we'll have to proof as power and they stuff to brooms together and lifted me up with them even though you might expect them to come a part. of course, i know the physics behind it with it because i've been here by,

by city. physic must be physically, it's not magic, just physics. i know civic you know, well, what would you like to do? kill him. what do you want to do for you know, last year? at least we do. you want to be there? we don't want to, i don't want him to hot and you don't want to accommodate the issue already was how do you do rituals? are common in nigeria, this significant kind of stuff. did you please come on the power because from the prices, the prices desk is like desperate power the front of the comfortable in the name of business. this is papa. i have his business and i wanted to have method proof of his business associates and other people. it seems that the man who cheated marie out of her money also has his own ju ju priest. to break the spell,

marie is told to cook some yam. the priest says that she'll get her money back in 3 days to an answer. so it looks nice, but it doesn't have much of an effect on me anymore because it on the feeder i felt before has subsided. thank you very much. now. yeah, i finance response of the hot tub and let's see if the magic works to send advanced up the focus victims, defense unemployment, or maybe on sunday. when i'm in the plane, i'll check my bank account and see that the money's arrived to remove marie still wants to find out more about how the scammers operate. but she has to cut short her trip to been in city. because there's surprising news from a bu jeff. all right, i'm going to be searching, but i am in june. i'm tomorrow. i went to the judge so

they gave me the students name and lucy tomorrow. all right, thank you, bye. and it looks like the court hearing is happening after all. so marie is heading back to a budget the but her help her solomon remains in been in city. he's made contact with a group of scammers. in nigeria, they're known as yahoo boys, a term for young man who want to make a quick buck online. their boss is willing to give an anonymous interview about his business. oh yeah, look into america. we just want to get information from you on the day activities.

another that's good news is here we. we also quoted tells us the boise was the 9th dollars. oh we've, we've done it quite bumping for implants. so these boys are looking for when they are driving, so i get it in full and you'll be like from the streets and he's going to the work . so in utah, so from the streets. so those are 2 admins, if on next 24 months, yes, money comes from shirts. 604240 ethics is to present that to you. didn't want to take a glance thing that works okay. sounds good to me. it was in okay. and my name is tom tongue. yeah. ok. i'll hold on. ok. island. ok. she said ok. nice name and said to go live. okay. that will go about the lack of moving to the use of sale that hi. hello. how you doing? beautiful. how's your day going?

from day use, because there's all stuff on there to use um for speeches. can you see how even though you are from india, i do not respond to you. you know, they were not married. name is thomas bell tires g. now the words, she's the one where i don't have to do and it's sometimes few sort of high schools to some 1000 feet and more. meanwhile, maria's back in court and a boot you when we get the news, my heart is pounding. i just hope i can get through it. this is iris house has some kind of demand hasn't yet been found guilty in court. would feel strange. i just because i have to present all the evidence most valuable

because there used to be sympathy and understanding processes and may be also in love to one another. started because i've listened, but it's clear he's been lying to me the whole time i was looking for. and i gave him so many chances to tell the truth. he never did. how did you get more? yes, the only little by little after i was able to prove i knew who he really was there ever because my trusted him and he took advantage of me. yeah. so it was my taking that be back before giving evidence in english marie talks to the prosecutor and her new lawyer, one more time. i'll do my best. it won't be good if i'm nervous and worked up and i can't concentrate on the touch

the, with the hearing about to start, we have to take our cameras outside the later that afternoon. marie is relieved for statement and court went, well this bottleneck, it was such a relief on this phone because i was finally able to let go of everything invited to ended on my list last dad and quanta is a week ago. i was still so scared to be here and i still felt trapped on the cut. all the prejudices have a bab rated. my jewelry is a really friendly country and i've met some great people or to can and glad. i'm glad that she has had the experience because it's nice to see that not everybody

nigeria i'm really hopeful for the end of the tears because i believe most, it's not hard. also get to see you guys as decision coming here has definitely been worth it. little by little, i'm getting back to being the old me. the person i was before i was scammed, been in my in my mail, the ice cold b. c. at the end of plastic, i need an expedition ventures on 2 places that no one has good x.

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this is dw news line from above and lebanese militant group has bloss as one of its top command. this has been killed and is really attacked to drug and striking southern economic problems. that's swift, retaliation i'm a drawing fee is a tough tennessee could spiral into a lot also on the program. south africa swears in its 1st coalition government for 13. yes, that's the building i n. c is forced to share a pallet with 5 of the pockets on the u. k. for past the votes and complimentary elections tomorrow, activists say the fight against politics must be a prior safe for whoever wins.