What’s the value of affection?
Terry, recent guest of “Dr. Phil” sent nearly $80,000 to her virtual boyfriend before realizing that her relationship may not be what it seemed.
Terri met “Ricardo” on Facebook Messenger two years ago.
A month after they began talking, Ricardo asked Terri to invest $10,000 in Bitcoin, promising a fast return of $1 million inside six months.
Since then, Terri has been sending Ricardo money with nothing but photos and phone calls to prove her e-boyfriend exists – but she’s never seen a dime from her investments.
While Ricardo claimed to be a US citizen from Los Angeles, his move to Canada for work allegedly prevented him from seeing his sweetheart in person.
At any time when Terri tried to arrange a private meeting, she told Dr. Phil that Ricardo “all the time had an excuse.”
Terri’s sister Tammy sensed the deception and went with Terri to the show.
“People keep telling me that Ricardo doesn’t exist, that he’s cheating on me, and that he is not in Canada,” lamented Terri.
“I do not believe them… I consider Ricardo is real.”
Dr. Phil agreed with Tammy’s skepticism and debunked “Ricardo” as a catfish by fact-checking the story he fed Terri.
The person who actually appeared within the photos Ricardo sent to Terri is called James – and it isn’t the primary time his image has been stolen.
According to James, the photos are from his social media and “used for love scams”.
“I’ve been doing this for over 10 years” – James he said within the video sent to “Dr. Phil’s show. “I hope this video can show that I am the person within the photos, but I am not the person Terri was talking to and sending money.”
While Terri he was devastated by the invention that her beloved just isn’t real, she promised to block the scammer and get a recent phone number.
“I’m heartbroken,” Terri told Dr. Phil, “but I’m done.”
Dr Phil reminded everyone that James can be a victim of schemes that use his personal photos to benefit from strangers on the web.
Though she was sad, Terri was able to make fun of the situation and say she didn’t blame James in any respect.
“If I see [James]she said, “I won’t hit him with my fist.”