Disabled woman robbed by Facebook lover

A disabled woman who journeyed more than 65 miles from eastern Jamaica to Ocho Rios, St Ann, to meet a man with whom she had an 'online relationship' claims that he robbed and took advantage of her on their very first face-to-face meeting.

The woman, 43, said that she travelled to the 'Garden Parish' last week to meet up with her potential lover - a 39-year-old man - and to collect $35,000 which she said that he promised her.

"When I sit down and remember everything, I can't stop cry," the woman told THE STAR yesterday. She said that they met on Facebook a few months ago and she felt comfortable sharing aspects of her life with him.

"I told him I was desperately in need for some help for my son because my son broke his leg and he needed $135,000 to put some pin in his leg at the hospital," she said. "He said he would give me $35,000, but I just have to come and collect it because he is working and he couldn't come to me," said the woman who walks with a cane.

She said that last Monday she journeyed to St Ann by bus. They met in Ocho Rios and spent the night at a guest house.

I asked him for the money

"The morning now, I asked him for the money I went to collect and he said he was going to get it from the machine when we get back into the town," she said. "So we reached back at the bus park now, he said he was going for the cash but he needed to call a friend and his (phone) battery died." She said he asked her for a call and walked off while using the phone, allegedly to get her breakfast.

"All now I don't see him come back. I was sitting there for three hours waiting. I left Ochi at 12:45 p.m.," she said. The woman said she had to beg bus fare to get back to Kingston.

"When I got to Kingston I told the JUTC driver I don't have any money and him drop me home," she said. The woman said that her phone, a LG K31, is valued at $20,000.

She said that she had learnt a very important lesson learnt and urged persons to avoid online dating. She said that the incident was not reported to the police.

"Me never really know the Ochi area so I didn't know where to find the station and I just wanted to go home. Right now, I'm just leaving everything in God hands," she said.

Meanwhile, THE STAR reached out to the alleged perpetrator via a telephone number provided by the woman. Although initially answering to the name that was provided by the woman, the man denied knowledge of the situation after being asked to respond to the allegations. He said that there may have been a mix-up with the phone number even though the woman insists otherwise.