£193,000 recovered in Societe Generale Impersonation Scam
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After losing £133,000 to a cruel romance scam that began on TikTok, our client, Tracy, turned to CEL Solicitors for help. We secured a full refund of her life savings, giving her the chance to rebuild her life. This is her story.
How did the scam unfold?
After sadly losing her husband, Tracy was going through a very difficult time. Dealing with deep grief and a lot of work stress left her feeling lonely, isolated, and emotionally vulnerable. Looking for connection, Tracy started using the video app TikTok, where a friendly stranger messaged her. His warm words offered a welcome sense of comfort.
They quickly got closer and moved their chats over to WhatsApp. Before long, they were texting every single day, sharing details about their lives, interests, and dreams.
The scammer made up a very believable story. He claimed to be an environmental worker on offshore oil rigs, a classic excuse scammers use to explain why they can never meet in person or do a video call. To look like an honest person, he claimed to have a strong Baptist background and plans to retire soon. He regularly sent photos of “himself” at work and always asked Tracy how she was doing, filling the lonely space left by her late husband.
Over the next few months, their bond grew stronger. Believing she had found a real partner, Tracy shared her deepest thoughts. The scammer did the same, sharing fake stories about his life and family troubles to win her absolute trust.
About four or five months in, the scammer moved to the next part of his plan. He claimed that because he was far out at sea on the oil rigs, he was locked out of his bank accounts. He said he could not access his money to pay for critical work costs, and he asked Tracy if she could help him transfer and secure his funds.
How do scammers gain your trust?
Fraudsters invest months in building a close bond. When they finally ask for help, you feel like you are saving someone in a crisis, rather than sending money to a stranger. Tracy cared deeply about him and wanted to help, so she sent him the money, believing it was a short-term issue.
Once she made that first payment, the requests became bigger, faster, and more urgent. The scammer made up worse problems, like fake legal battles with his boss or sudden emergency fees, always promising to pay her back the second he returned to shore. Trapped in his emotional games, Tracy kept paying to protect the money she had already sent. In the end, she transferred a shocking total of £133,000.
How did Tracy realise it was a scam?
The moment of realisation was incredibly painful and confusing. When Tracy spoke to him on the phone, she noticed things didn’t add up. The caring person she thought she knew changed completely. While his text messages read like those of an American professional, the voice on the phone did not match. Instead of an American accent, the man had a clear South African accent.
When a confused Tracy asked him about it, the man’s charming personality instantly vanished. He became very angry, aggressive, and mean. In that painful moment, Tracy realised the truth: the man did not exist, and she had been deceived. The shock of losing her life savings, combined with the heartbreak of the lie, left her deeply traumatised. She felt overwhelmed and unsure where to turn for support, but help was available.
What to do if you have been scammed?
Romance scams are very common and cruel, especially on apps like TikTok and WhatsApp. If you find yourself in a similar situation, please know you are not alone, and you have done nothing wrong. You deserve support, and there are steps you can take right now to protect yourself.
Stop talking to them right away: Cut off all contact with the scammer. Do not confront them, as there is nothing to be gained. They will use guilt and love-bombing tactics to trick you again, or worse. If they feel their game is up, they may attempt to embarrass and upset you. The only sensible option is to block them everywhere – but do not delete your conversations! This brings us on to…
Keep all your evidence: Keep your chat history safe, even if you feel embarrassed. This evidence is so important as it documents exactly what happened: the lies the scammer told, the manipulation tactics, and a timeline of events. You have nothing to be ashamed of.
Report it immediately: Contact Report Fraud at reportfraud.police.uk and call your bank’s fraud team to tell them about the money you sent.
Get expert legal help: You do not have to suffer in silence. Reach out to a specialist team like CEL Solicitors to help you through it.
How did CEL Solicitors help?
Banks should look out for unusual payments and step in to check their customers are safe. We argued that Tracy’s bank failed in this duty of care because they let such huge, unusual amounts of money leave her account without ever questioning them.
Our hard work paid off completely. CEL Solicitors won a full refund of the £133,000 for Tracy. Although we couldn’t take away all the pain Tracy had been through, helping her recover her life savings gave her the chance to regain her independence. With her financial stress lifted, she could finally begin to rebuild her life.
If you believe that you or someone you care about has been a victim of a romance scam or any other type of financial fraud, do not let anything stop you from trying to get your money back. We work on a No-Win, No-Fee basis, so there is no financial risk in finding out where you stand. Contact our expert team at CEL Solicitors today for a free review of your case.
We listen, we care, we win.
