Although David never met “Maria” in person, he was head-over-heels in love with her. Because Maria was a woman about half his age, David was smitten and stumbling over his feet to tie the knot. But when Maria told him that her nearly $10 million inheritance would only be given to her if she were in a committed relationship (married), David took the hint and proposed marriage to Maria without ever having met her in the flesh.
For more than a year, David and Maria texted each other and communicated over the internet. Although David was enthralled with Maria from the beginning – her being a much-younger woman and very attractive – his interest only grew once he learned from her that she was sitting on a multi-million-dollar fortune. However, the inheritance from her parents would only be distributed so long as Maria was married. According to her, it was their final wish for her to spend the money with her new family.
Maria and David got to work securing the inheritance. Maria told David (via their internet communication, of course) that she was forced to work with an expensive lawyer in order for her to secure her inheritance. However, Maria did not have any money because she was waiting for the $10 million to come through to her account. In the meantime, Maria asked David to cover the cost of the lawyer, which amounted to about $1,500 per month. For about a year or so, David covered this bill, shelling out more than $25,000 over that period of time.
David managed to keep his new fling a secret from his daughter from a previous relationship. David had not really talked to his biological daughter in years, but once they reestablished their connection, she immediately saw his new love affair as a red flag. His daughter was suspicious since David had only communicated with Maria over the internet and had not met her in person despite their marriage plans and their relationship, which had lasted for more than a year and a half.
Eventually, David signed a blank document, which Maria’s “lawyers” used to seal the deal. Although the pair had never met in person, they were officially wed. Now, it was just a matter of time for David and Maria to met face-to-face and consummated their marriage. Unfortunately, things did not work out the way David hoped they would.
During an appearance on the Dr. Phil show, David learned that Maria was not a real person. She was a “catfish,” or an online avatar created to scam people out of money. Despite promising to share her $10 million inheritance with David, he was the one who ended up giving away money. Now, he has married a stranger, and there is no turning back.
Although Dr. Phil exposed Maria as a fake, David refuses to believe that he has been scammed. The host sent a producer to scope our Maria’s place of employment, which was fake and also discovered some more alarming information. But will David admit his mistake?
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