This Morning viewers gobsmacked as widower, 57, reveals online lover conned her out of 40k

2 December 2019, 12:46

A widow said she was left devastated after she was tricked by online fraudsters.

Di Pogson appeared on This Morning today to talk to the show's resident life coaches The Speakmans about her terrible ordeal.

The 57-year-old lost her husband of thirty years, Ian suddenly in 2014.

And after she returned to the dating scene two years later, she appeared to hit the jackpot with businessman Kevin Thompson - a fellow widower, also in his fifties and based in London.

But when he started to ask her for money for his vet bill after two of weeks of dating, Di found it difficult to turn him down and within four weeks she had sent him £40,000 and had to take out a loan.

Di told The Speakmans about her story. Picture: ITV

It turns out, ‘Kevin’ was in fact a con created by a gang of cruel fraudsters to dupe her out of her money.

The criminals took more than £240,000 from two victims between 2016 and 2017.

Three of the men, Yaw Sarpong, 22, Nicholas Adade, 23, and Eric Ocansey, 35, have since been given prison sentences totalling more than nine years.

Luckily, now Di is in a happy relationship and is getting married in December next year.

However, speaking about how it affected her, she admitted she felt “stupid” after falling for the trick.

“I feel stupid, how ridiculous, but I have to accept I wasn’t in a good place and if I dwell on it, they’ve won again,” she told the Speakmans.

And viewers were shocked by the segment, with many taking to Twitter after hearing Di’s story.

“@thismorning I keep saying this over and over again, anyone who asks for money is not truly looking for love, its simple as that. Money is not Love,” said one viewer.

While another said they had “no sympathy” for Di, a third added: “Seriously why do women give men money?? #ThisMorning”

But a fourth wrote: “I’m tearing up for Di... what a lovely lady.”