My Scam Story by Beth Hyland, Author, Advocate, and Survivor of Romance Fraud
“In October 2023, I matched with a man named Richard Daub on Tinder. Within two weeks, I fell in love. He bombarded me with sweet talk, constantly professed his love, and said he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. At 52, four years post-divorce, I knew what I wanted—and he was it.
He said he worked in construction as a freelance project manager. Two weeks in, he left for a job in San Diego, which quickly got extended. Not long after, he told me he was invited to Doha, Qatar, to meet with a board of directors about a project he’d completed during COVID but hadn’t been paid for. He needed a lawyer and translator, and soon ran into issues accessing his bank account. When he asked me to help, I didn’t hesitate. He gave me his login and password, and I was able to transfer the funds. But the next day, the account was frozen—and neither of us could access it.
Meanwhile, he still needed to pay the translator. He never asked me for the money, but at this point, he was my fiancé. I loved him and wanted to bring him home. I took out loans and, over the course of five days, sent $21,000 through Bitcoin ATMs—plus $5,000 more to cover the fees. I’d seen his bank account and believed I would get it back. Plus, the payout from the project was supposed to be over $10 million.
After his meeting, he was awarded $10,100,000, but he needed to complete an inspection and was delayed once again. He asked if I could handle the payment to speed things up. I was directed to a cryptocurrency institution and was instructed to create an account. I submitted the necessary documents, and 48 hours later, the money appeared. But when I asked about transferring it, I was told there was a $50,000 activation fee.
That’s when something really felt off. Still, I wasn’t thinking scam. I reached out to my financial advisor and decided to tell him everything. Having been trained in romance fraud, he gently told me I was the victim of a romance scam.
I was devastated. I couldn’t believe it, but I couldn’t ignore it. I waited a week to confront him— I needed time to let the truth sink in enough to walk away. When I finally did, he tried to guilt me, saying he was heartbroken, and for a couple of days, I believed it. But when he asked, “What if I had taken my own life?” that was the last straw.
Real or not, I didn’t want to be with someone who would manipulate me like that. I ended it for good. He tried one last time to reel me back in, gaslighting me by insisting that my mind would break if I kept telling myself this narrative. I told him I didn’t believe or trust him—and that was the last time we spoke.
After the scam ended, I stood at a crossroads. I could let it break me, or I could fight to reclaim my life. I chose to live—not just survive, but to thrive. I turned my pain into purpose and began advocating, sharing my story in the media and on several podcasts. It became my mission to be a voice for those still suffering in silence.”