Widow, 79, scammed out of £250k after WhatsApp dating 'with Mamma Mia! actor'

A gran widowed after 51 years of marriage has told how she was cruelly scammed out of £250,000 after turning to online dating to lift herself out of loneliness. Elizabeth Ferguson, a retired senior university manager and businesswoman, was tricked into handing over her savings by a man posing as a lovelorn telecoms expert, the Mirror reports.

Elizabeth, 79, a mum of two with four grandkids, says: "I still can't believe the nightmare I've been through."

In April 2022, three years after husband George's death and desperate to quell her loneliness, she joined dating site Match. Almost immediately, she spotted Courtney Roy.

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She says: "His profile said he was 68 and his interests included nature, travelling and volunteering. His pictures showed a normal, good-looking man, and he said he lived in Dublin. He seemed like someone I could have a conversation with."

As they chatted on WhatsApp, he told Elizabeth who lives close to Dublin herself that he had divorced his cheating wife, and claimed he had been raised by his grandparents in Cyprus after losing his parents in a car crash. She says: "This was part of the scam. Not just to gain my sympathy, but to explain errors in his written English."

Elizabeth shared details of her own life, and says: "I felt the connection grow. Courtney responded to my photos by saying I was beautiful. His interest was definitely flattering." After he suggested travelling to meet her, they had their first video call. She says: "It was near impossible to see or hear him but it didn't seem odd. Connections can be bad anywhere."

Just as they were due to meet, he said he