Internet Bride Scam victim lucky to be alive-

[Kathryn41 3,205]

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/well-hack...dmh=dm16.273406

Scam victim lucky to be alive

Steve Larkin

August 13, 2007

Des Gregor at Adelaide Airport last night.

Photo: Steve Larkin

A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN farmer held hostage in Africa for 12 days in an internet bride scam has returned home, saying he is lucky to be alive.

Des Gregor, 56, of Hoyleton, arrived at Adelaide Airport last night after being freed from his African captors, who were ultimately duped by police.

Mr Gregor travelled to Mali last month to meet his supposed bride and collect a dowry of $100,000 in gold.

But on his arrival on July 27 he was kidnapped by a gang, beaten, stripped, had his cash and credit cards taken, and was held hostage at a flat in Bamako, the capital. He was told he would have his limbs hacked off with a machete unless he arranged a $100,000 ransom.

Mr Gregor was freed last Thursday when Australian Federal Police persuaded the kidnappers there was money to be collected by their captive from the Canadian embassy in Bamako.

The gang briefly released him and police rescued him.

"I especially thank the Australian Federal Police for the effort that they put in and also the Mali police," Mr Gregor said. "They did a fantastic job in conjunction with the AFP, and if it wasn't for them I reckon another couple of days and I wouldn't have returned."

Mr Gregor said he was beaten with a machete and bound by the legs when he was held captive, in a one-room flat.

When he arrived in Mali he had no suspicion he was a victim of a con, he said.

"The first indication I had that there was something wrong was when we got to the flat, they called out for somebody's name and the person that was supposed to meet me weren't there.

"We walked in and there was one bloke with [what] I would say [was] a home-made pistol and another one with a machete."

Mr Gregor said he was given "a good belting with a machete. I still have the scars to prove that.

He gave them what he had, he said. "They then made me strip. That is when they got the wallet and that had $A675 in it."

Mr Gregor arrived in Adelaide with none of his possessions and issued a warning to others seeking love over the internet. "Just be careful, make sure you check everything out 100 per cent."

[JoeMama 0]

Believing that he was going to collect a dowry of $100,000 in gold should have been enough reason to know it was a scam. People get suckered in due to their own greed. Unless you socialize among the rich and famous, any person with 1/2 a brain would know it's a scam. I'm guessing next he'll be giving out his bank account information, from an e-mail he received sent in Nigeria, from someone who wishes to deposit $10,000,000 dollars into his account to hold for him

[peejay 327]

Kind of reminds me of an old 10cc song, "The Things We Do For Love". It goes something like this:

Too many broken hearts have fallen down the river

Too many lonely souls have drifted out to sea

You lay your bets and then you pay the price

The things we do for love

The things we do for love

[Cassandra+Yuibi 0]

Kind of reminds me of an old 10cc song, "The Things We Do For Love". It goes something like this:

Too many broken hearts have fallen down the river

Too many lonely souls have drifted out to sea

You lay your bets and then you pay the price

The things we do for love

The things we do for love

Considering the gold. I think another song is a little bit more appropriate.

What's love got to do with it~

[Jason-Sasha 1]

This guy is a first class moron. He is definitely lucky to be alive.

[Ladylethal 12]

$100.000 and he didn't think it was scam?

[Queen Jenn 0]

DUH!!! Did he really think that someone in Mali would have a dowry of $100,000? Hellooooooooo!!!! I'm glad he's alive, but really - check things out and use your brain.