Rodrick Lodge, a 69-year-old widower, has been left homeless and “truly suffering” after being deceived into sending £85,000 to a fictitious woman.

Mr. Lodge, who was living in Leiston, Suffolk, was introduced to a woman named Anita through a friend he had met three years earlier in Kenya.

Over time, Mr. Lodge built a relationship with Anita through social media and, feeling love for the first time since the death of his wife Pauline in 2019, he agreed to move to Nairobi to marry her.

Anita claimed to own a four-bedroom house and requested a dowry for their marriage. Mr. Lodge agreed to fund renovations for her home, sending money for various improvements.

Anita provided pictures of the house being upgraded along with intimate images, further convincing him of her authenticity.

She also presented herself as the managing director of a beauty products company with about 30 employees, which led Mr. Lodge to believe she was a successful and credible individual.

It wasn’t until Mr. Lodge arrived in Kenya to unite with his supposed bride that he realized he had been scammed.

Upon landing at the airport, Anita was nowhere to be found, and his repeated attempts to contact her were met with excuses. The reality of the scam left Mr. Lodge with no savings and a broken heart.