Patrick Morales
Complaint 215602 Details

Mr. Morales contacted me through Christian Mingle online dating. I recall his profile said he was 57, lived in Oviedo, Florida, was a widow having lost his wife 7 years ago due to cancer, he has 1 son, and was looking to find his soulmate. I liked his profile and his photo so I replied. We exchanged email addresses and cell phone numbers and we both clicked and had a lot in common. Over the next few weeks, we texted and/or emailed each other almost every day. He then announced he had to return to his job in a oil drilling refinery located in Scotland. He said he would be there three weeks and then return home at the end of January. About a week after he supposedly arrived in Scotland, he texts/emails me about 8-10 times a day that he badly needed $$$ to buy another machine that dealt with mud, and he had to obtain the new machine from a company in China. He had a deadline to meet and his company would incur a stiff penalty if this contract was not completed by that deadline. He would not leave me alone. He even called me at 1 or 2:00 a.m. a couple of times. He begged and pleaded me to help me ... he had no access to $$$ on the oil drilling rig in the ocean and he would pay me the entire amount plus extra for helping him out. The excuses went on and on. I kept telling him no ... I did not know him well enough. He kept texting me while I was at work and saying all these things he was going to buy me and do for me when he returned home. He told me we could not talk on the phone because it would cost too much to talk internationally. I FINALLY gave in .... I felt in my heart that I was making a mistake ... but being a generous Christian lady I felt that God wanted me to help him so I wired the money to him. Once again he would not leave me alone. He needed a receipt/bank confirmation that the money had been wired to the China company delivering the new machine. Now I feel like a fool and I have been scammed big time. How could I be so stupid?!?!? I am hoping this jerk has been reported by some other vulnerable lady and he is in your system.

**Update**
He continued on with several daily emails and texts telling me how much he loved me and he could not wait to return home to be with me, blah blah blah. He seemed concerned about me, my kids, and the fact I was selling my house and moving in mid-February. This is when he starting emailing/texting me 4-5 times/day about a machine needing repair at a cost of $27,000!!! He wanted me to send him this money plus additional money for shipping the machine wherever it needed to be repaired. Totally denied that request -- asked him if he thought I had a money tree in my back yard! I ended up wiring him $4,000 more. I have not heard from him in about 2 weeks. He promised to pay me back once he returned home -- I am hoping Scambook can help me recoup some of this hard-earned money. Thanks!