A charity worker from the UK fell victim to a ‘romance fraud’ by a Ukrainian woman who scammed him of nearly $250, 000, nearly two-thirds of his life savings, over the course of a couple of years, reports the BBC.

The woman, identified as Irina, agreed to marry the charity worker, made him buy a house in Ukraine and then allegedly arranged for his drink to be spiked that led him to be hospitalised on the day he thought was his wedding night.

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In 2015, 52-year-old British charity worker James (name changed) was asked by a friend to help set up a project supporting children fleeing the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine

Upon coming to Ukraine, James threw himself into work with the help of a translator called Julia. That winter, all heavy rainfall in Ukraine’s Odessa stopped all work. At this time, Julia suggested that James go on a date with one of her friends — Irina.

James and Irina apparently fell in love and for the next six months, the couple saw each other every time James came to Odessa.

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At first, James thought that he and Irina could settle down in the UK. But he soon discovered that it would take years before the paperwork would go through. For the sake of love, James decided to marry Irina, buy a house and settle in Ukraine.

Done as planned James decided to buy a $200,000-house and make it their home. But transferring the money from UK to Ukraine was difficult. Irina suggested that the money be transferred to her friend’s company account.

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Things took a surreal turn when James returned the Ukraine. Irina told James that the bank would release the money only if he legally married her friend Kristina, into whose company account the money had been wired.

On July 10, 2017, James married Kristina. The money was released and Irina and Kristina announced that a house had been bought for $200,000.

The day after, James and Irina exchanged wedding vows. By midnight the same day, James was hospitalized after drinking what in hindsight he thought was a spiked drink given to him by a woman who he thought was Irina’s mother.

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Later, when James called Irina, she said that she too had medical problems and made him transfer $12,000 for her medical costs.

Soon after, the madness stopped when a friend of James intervened and told him that the apartment, he had bought for $200,000, only cost $43,000. It was then that James realized that the women had scammed him of three-fourths of his life savings. His entreaties to the Ukrainian police proved futile.