More and more Flemish women are the victims of dating fraud in which they enter into a relationship via social media with a stranger who ultimately wants money. In the past year, 1044 cases were recorded by the police, three a day or 40 percent more than last year, Farouk revealed yesterday. One of the biggest scammers in our country is the mysterious “Franck Lemaire”.
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Dating fraud is on the rise in Flanders. Line from Ghent was interviewed in the report. “My husband died suddenly. The night before we were still laughing together. It suddenly happened ”. After a period of mourning, she started dating at her computer. “I was introduced to Franck Lemaire”. “He said he was Canadian, forwarded a photo of his passport, and said he now lived in Walloon Brabant.”
Every moment of the day Line received sweet messages wishing her a good morning, afternoon or evening and which he invariably rounded off with “Bissous tendres, Franck”. He also called daily and sent pictures of himself. But when they were to meet in Brussels, he suddenly had to go to Paris and once in Paris he needed money: neo-surfs, vouchers that you buy, photograph and forward with which the recipient can then pay.
“First 500 euros. I thought it was strange but bought the coupons anyway. The same evening he asked for another 900. Then I went to the police ”. The truth hit it hard. Franck Lemaire is not a man but a gang of crooks. There is no Franck Lemaire from Canada, the passport was fake. He stole the photos he sends from the Instagram profile of American photographer James Scott Geras from California. “It started five years ago,” said that man. “I got a call from someone who saw my picture under a different name”. It kept getting worse. “Now I get phones every day, very threatening too. Someone called me: If you send a message to my wife one more time I will cut your throat ”. Geras, in turn, filed a complaint with the FBI. “But until now nothing happened in that investigation.”
In our country the gang “Franck Lemaire” has already made several victims. A woman from Tienen lost no less than 58,000 euros to the scammer, but she also provided the first useful trace of the man by meeting him several times in 2018 and 2019. “It concerns a white man of around 65 years old who seems somewhat on the American man but he is not. He has short gray hair and a beard and speaks French with a slight accent ”, the Tienen police know. He has to live in Belgium or has been here anyway. The police ask anyone who has ever been in contact with “Franck Lemaire” to report. It is suspected that there are many more victims but that they do not dare to present themselves because of shame, or – and that makes it worse – because they still really believe that the man really exists ”. The Tienen police are looking for more victims. People who have information can report this on 0800 300 300 or sporingen@police.belgium.eu
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