As I turned over in bed, a pain shot down my side. 

Sighing, I switched on the bedside light. There was no way I’d get back to sleep now. 

My whole body was hurting. These early hours, while the rest of the world slept, could be so long and lonely.

But then, just as I was thinking of taking a painkiller, my phone bleeped with a message.

‘Babe, miss you so much! I can’t sleep, think about you 24/7.’

My pain was forgotten as I typed out a reply. It was so lovely to know my partner Maxwell Johnson was thinking of me.

He would message me most days, and if I was having a rough night, he would stay awake with me too. 

I was born with a variety of health issues, among them mild cerebral palsy. However, these challenges had not impeded me for years. Surprisingly, I had been married three times and was a parent to five children!

But by 2017, I needed to use a wheelchair when I left the house, and I had also been diagnosed with diabetes, arthritis and thyroid problems.

I’d also been single and living alone for a decade by then. I had been feeling incredibly isolated until Maxwell had come into my life.

It had all started with a Facebook message – a simple hello. 

We did not know each other but we had started to chat and connected immediately.  

Maxwell told me he was serving in the United States Air Force in Syria. At 59, he was just one year younger than me.

I told him about my disabilities, and he was so caring and accepting. ‘Must be tough for you,’ he wrote.

Before I knew it, it was dark outside, and we had been chatting all day.

Maxwell messaged me the next day, and the next. When he asked for my number, to talk on WhatsApp, I was pleased.

‘I think I’m falling for you,’ he admitted.

I couldn’t help feeling flattered. This was the most attention I had had in so long. Then, he sent me a photo of himself.

He was so handsome, he looked like a movie star. ‘Wow, you’re gorgeous,’ I said.

Honestly, I found it hard to believe he was interested in me, but when I sent a photo back he was full of compliments.

Later, he asked me to send him some saucy photos too, promising me they would be for his eyes only. 

I felt so young and excited as I took a few intimate shots and sent them on.

Maxwell must’ve liked them because he told me he would come to visit me at my home in Weston-Super-Mare, England, as soon as he got time off work.

I couldn’t wait.

But then came a setback with Maxwell. He ran into financial issues, attributing it to U.S. Air Force regulations, and expressed his inability to afford his plane ticket.

‘Could you lend me the money?’ he asked.

I didn’t hesitate.

Living on sickness benefits, I was not wealthy. Nevertheless, my lifestyle was simple, and I didn’t have many expenses. Without a second thought, I transferred £500 (AU$1,000 or US$635) to assist him.

That wasn’t enough, so I sent more.

When Maxwell messaged to say he was in London, I was beside myself.

‘I can’t wait to see you,’ he said. ‘I want to marry you!’  

He needed more money, to pay for his hotel, dry-cleaning and food bills. But then, as we were discussing dates for his visit, he had to fly back to America at short notice. 

‘I’ll be back soon,’ he promised.

By now, I had been with Maxwell for two years. One weekend, my daughter Chantelle and her partner Tony visited. So far, I had kept Maxwell a secret, but this felt like the right time to share my news.

‘I’m in love,’ I told Chantelle.

She frowned. ‘Where have you met someone?’ she asked. ‘You never go out.’

I showed her some of my messages from Maxwell, including his photo.

‘Oh, mum,’ she groaned. ‘It looks like you have been scammed.’

She and Tony did some research and told me the photo of Maxwell was of someone completely different – who also happened to be complaining of being scammed.

It was too much to take in. With a heavy heart, I messaged Maxwell.

‘It’s not true,’ he insisted. ‘Your daughter is jealous, trying to spoil your happiness. I love you.’

I felt torn. I had been talking to him every day for two years. Surely I could trust him? Maybe Chantelle had made a mistake?

Over the next few months, Maxwell and I made plans for him to visit, but each time they fell through. 

He was planning to leave the U.S. Air Force but his paperwork, along with his money, was tied up in Ghana for some reason, he said.

He explained he would have to go to court to get it back, and he needed help with the legal costs.

I kept sending more and more money. Sometimes, he’d want Apple cards or Amazon cards instead, which I didn’t quite understand.

Chantelle became annoyed with me, insisting I end the relationship and stop sending money. But when we argued, I just felt closer to Maxwell. It seemed like he was the only one who understood me.

In 2023, six years into our relationship, we still had not met. Meanwhile, I was getting into debt, sending so much money, week by week. I barely had enough left for myself.

My garden was in a state and needed lots of work, but I no longer had the money to pay a landscaper. 

Eventually, Chantelle lost patience and announced she and Tony were moving in.

‘I want to keep an eye on you, mum,’ she told me.

She made me change my phone number and deactivated my social media accounts. She reported Maxwell to the police too, though they said they could not help.

But it wasn’t long before I got a message from one of Maxwell’s friends. They’d been looking for me. I couldn’t help feeling flattered.

Maybe Chantelle was wrong. Maybe he did love me after all.

We started talking again and, in September 2023, Maxwell asked me to send him £700 (AU$1,500 or US$940) in Apple vouchers.

I didn’t really feel well enough to go to the supermarket to buy the vouchers, but I was frightened of letting him down, frightened of losing him.

On the drive there, I began to cry, worrying about all the money I was losing. I could not pay my own bills – yet I could not say no to Maxwell. I didn’t know what to do.

As I arrived at the supermarket, my mind went into a spin, and I heard a crunch. Somehow, I had crashed the car into a wall. In floods of tears, I was taken to hospital.

All the way, my phone bleeped with angry messages from Maxwell.

‘If you don’t send the money, I’ll send those sexy photos to your daughter,’ he threatened. My heart sank.

Soon after, Chantelle called me to confirm he had emailed her all the intimate photos I’d sent him. I felt sick. It was so mortifying for us both.

Though my injuries from the car crash were minor, the stress caused issues with my diabetes and I was stuck in hospital. 

For a few days, I was in a coma as doctors tried to stabilise me. Even after I came home, I was no longer myself. I couldn’t get out of my wheelchair anymore. I could no longer drive.

With my heart breaking, I could finally see how I’d been scammed for six years. I felt so foolish and ashamed.

‘The only one who should feel ashamed is the scammer,’ Chantelle said. ‘You did nothing wrong, mum.’

But the messages became sinister and threatening. Maxwell sent us abuse. He called me horrible names. He could even tell me which cars were parked outside my house. I began to panic that he was nearby and would hurt me.

We were so frightened that, in May this year, we moved house. Chantelle contacted the police again and this time they took us seriously. 

They called in Britain’s National Crime Agency to help nail him. Officers explained the scam was being orchestrated by a Nigerian gang.

Maxwell, I was told, did not exist.

In total, I had sent about £167,000 (US$225,00 or AU$350,000) to the scammers.

I am now in so much debt and I owe about £9,000 (US$12,200 or AU$18,800) to energy companies and £8,000 (US$10,800 or AU$16,700) to my carers.

I don’t know what I’m going to do.

I feel so foolish and yet all I wanted was a little bit of happiness. I’m speaking out to make others aware – especially if you’re vulnerable and living alone. These scammers are ruthless and they will take everything you have. 

I may have a long list of health problems, but I have a very strong heart, and I will bounce back from this. I won’t let those bullies ruin my life.

Chantelle, 34, says: ‘It’s been a nightmare. Mum has been groomed and exploited by these people for seven years. She started to think I was jealous of her, and I didn’t want her to be happy. I couldn’t even get the police to listen to me at first.

‘When they sent me her naked photos, I was horrified. That’s something no daughter should ever have to see. They’ve threatened her and been abusive – in the end she was sending money out of fear, not love.

‘I’m fundraising now to get her garden nice, so she can go outside again, and start looking to the future. We’re speaking out to make other families aware. Anyone can be a target.’