Internet love

by **BKKSTAN** » August 14, 2007, 2:29 pm

Australian taken hostage in Mali
By Nick Bryant
BBC News, Sydney

Des Gregor said his kidnappers threatened him with a machete

Farmer's ordeal

A south Australian farmer has warned of the perils of falling in love over the internet, after an online bride scam almost cost him his life.

Des Gregor, 56, has arrived back in Adelaide after being held hostage in the African nation of Mali for 12 days.

He had gone there expecting to marry a woman he had met over the internet, and pick up a US$86,000 (à¸ƒ43,000) dowry.

But instead he was held hostage, with his kidnappers demanding US$86,000 from him in ransom.

'Blinded by love'

Mr Gregor, a sheep farmer, set off to Mali on what he hoped would be an exotic adventure, during which he would not only meet his African bride but pocket a huge dowry in gold.

The target of his affections was a woman purportedly called Natacha, a Liberian refugee in her twenties whom he had met and fallen in love with over the internet.

Mr Gregor was picked up at the airport by men claiming to be Natacha's relatives but who turned out to be gangsters.

After taking him to a flat in the capital, Bamako, they stripped him naked, held a gun to his head and threatened to chop off his limbs with machetes.

They also demanded $86,000 as a ransom, or else he would be killed.

His relatives sounded the alarm when they started receiving strange e-mails asking for money.

At that point the Australian authorities decided to lay a trap of their own.

They managed to persuade the kidnappers that Mr Gregor could pick up the ransom money at the Canadian embassy.

It was there that he was rescued by the Australian federal police after being held for 12 days.

West African internet scams are not uncommon and many of his fellow Australians have wondered why the farmer was so easily duped.

His relatives say he was blinded by internet love.

by **marjamlew** » August 14, 2007, 2:57 pm

Should have stuck to the sheep! Who else was thinkin it?

by **BKKSTAN** » August 14, 2007, 3:00 pm

Sheep don't offer a dowry! :lol:

''Blinded by love'',indeed :^o

by **arjay** » August 14, 2007, 3:48 pm

Well, they certainly pulled the wool over his eyes! :lol:

He must be feeling quite sheepish now about the whole thing. :lol:

Still it's warning to others. That should put a stop to people flocking over to Africa for a bride after that.

by **beer monkey** » August 14, 2007, 3:49 pm

Falling in love on the net.. :roll:

.....and all they wanted to do was fleece him. #-o

by **Paul** » August 14, 2007, 7:05 pm

As the Thais would say " bahhhhh"

by **polehawk** » August 14, 2007, 9:02 pm

Shear luck he got away from the wolves in drag.

by **beer monkey** » August 14, 2007, 9:19 pm

"shear luck" .....bummer why did'nt i think of that one. :lol:

i hope all his friends have " Rammed" it home to him about the pit-falls of falling in love on the net.

by **Frankie 1** » August 14, 2007, 9:47 pm

$86000 dowry for a Liberian refugee :shock:

.

Hm, maybe she was a princess, and a relative of an oil sheik, and they would inherit 100 million dollars if she received the dowry, and to get the 100 million dollars she had to marry and get the dowry before a certain date, etc. etc. bla bla bla.

They probably showed the poor man a photo of Beonce Knowles on the internet and he fell in love instantly

by **beer monkey** » August 14, 2007, 11:23 pm

i think they picked him out as they presumed he was a wealthy sheep farmer...so they obviously thought he might of been " Minted ".

some sheep.

by **polehawk** » August 15, 2007, 8:38 am

So which one do ewe think is him? :lol:

A pinup for any farmers in here, eh?

by **Aardvark** » August 15, 2007, 10:03 am

Nice photo of the Sheep Beer Monkey,snow capped mountains in the back ground. Must be the real home of sheep lovers New Zealand :lol:

by **panick** » August 15, 2007, 11:35 pm

Aardvark wrote:Nice photo of the Sheep Beer Monkey,snow capped mountains in the back ground. Must be the real home of sheep lovers New Zealand

So thats where all the Welsh go :lol:

by **The man from Ketchup** » August 18, 2007, 1:53 pm

Maybe I should not admit this but I am from South Australia too.

Like another thread relating to stupid thai weman, we in SA are not all stupid I hope too.

We had more detail of this man on the local news.

This is the second time he has been scammed with promise of love. But this time he was held hostage and beat'n. I hope he has learnt his lesson this time. :razz:

by **beer monkey** » August 18, 2007, 3:53 pm

he deserves a holiday.......in Thailand.

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