'I fell in love with an incredible doctor - then he stole my life savings'
A 76-year-old woman is speaking out to inform others of the "dangers of internet romance" after a scammer took $70,000 from her, leaving the senior and her son homeless.
Jennifer Dennis, from Georgia, fell for a man named "Caleb" after meeting him online, just two years after losing her husband of 33 years. Caleb convinced her he was a doctor and worked with the Red Cross, and the two began a digital affair that quickly turned into true love for Dennis.
After developing a relationship with Dennis for months, "Caleb" told her that he's working in Yemen, and wanted to live with her when he returned. Message after message revealed that he had consistently told Dennis that he loved her and wanted to be with her, while the woman replied that he was her "dream come true."
Jennifer Dennis, 76, from Georgia, wired her life savings to 'Caleb' (Jennifer Dennis/GoFundMe)Eventually, "Caleb" asked Dennis to wire him money so that he could purchase a home for them. Dennis excitedly sent him everything he asked for, while selling her own home and packing up her belongings to get ready for the move. She planned to take her son along with them.
"He made it appear that he paid $600,000 towards our new house and I just had to pay $78,000. After selling my family home in Georgia, wiring the $78,000 for the new home, I thought it was a fresh start. I packed up everything I owned with my son, thinking we were moving to Cary, so that Caleb and I could be together. When my son and I arrived at the home, we learned the house was never for sale, and that Caleb was a scammer and took all my life savings with him," Dennis explained on her GoFundMe.
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The scammer posed as a Red Cross doctor (ABC11)The woman had saved all her life to ensure that she had enough to get through retirement. She never expected this. "I'm out all that money and I don't think I'll ever get it back," she told ABC11. "At 76, I don't have a whole lot of future." Dennis said she was open to some online romance after meeting "Caleb" on Facebook because she was devastated after losing her husband of 33 years, saying: "Everything about the house and the area reminded me of my husband, which was just heartbreaking."
At first, Dennis found joy in their relationship, and there are dozens of messages like this (ABC11)She went on to say that she initially wanted to enjoy the experience of talking to someone, exchanging tidbits about their days, and other simple communications to help ease the transition. "I was devastated and heartbroken," Dennis wrote. "I lost everything because I let my guard down and believed in the kindness of someone who said he wanted to be with me."
Dennis said the lies continued when she contacted her 'partner,' saying: "He sent me a picture of him - (he had) supposedly been beat up. That was the last time I heard from him,' she added.
Eventually, Dennis realized what had happened and typed out a last message to this 'romantic' scammer (ABC11)"We didn't have any place to go. We ended up in our car sleeping." In heartbreaking texts after the scammer ghosted her, Dennis wrote to the man: "I'm living in my car now. January is really cold at night. You have abandoned me?"
In follow-up texts, Dennis told "Caleb" he was "an evil man" for stealing her life savings and tricking her. "What goes around comes around. Karma," she added.
"My son and I ended up having to briefly live in our car and in a motel, until my son found a job. Through the Knights of Columbus and St. Andrew's Church, a church member offered his camper for us to use temporarily, where we are now staying," said the elderly widow. Dennis is currently trying to recoup some losses so that she can have a home again through online donations.
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