STARING at the comment that popped up on an Instagram post of her and her new partner smiling, Jennifer Kelly couldn’t believe what she was reading.
A woman, 40 years her senior, was claiming she and Jennifer’s veteran boyfriend Steve had been in a relationship for years. And she wasn’t the only one.
Jennifer Kelly was horrified when she received a message from another woman claiming to be in a relationship with her partner Steve
Jennifer describes her husband as ‘fiercely loyal, ambitious and unfailingly supportive’
As the weeks went on, Jennifer’s inbox became clogged with messages from scorned lovers claiming to be in a relationship with her partner.
However, Steve, 39, wasn’t a well-travelled cheat but rather the victim of after his photo was stolen from the internet and used in all over the world.
Jennifer, 41, from , , says: “I receive ten messages a week from both women and men all across the globe.
“All of them are utterly convinced they are seeing my bloke.”
As a result, Jennifer has faced jealous threats from women who’d been tricked by scammers into believing that Steve was their online admirer – with some handing over huge sums of cash or even convincing themselves they were a married couple.
When Jennifer first met her husband she says they instantly connected over their common interests, with survivalist Steve having appeared on Wild Reckoning and Discovery’s Naked & Afraid.
She says: “Steve and I had known each other in passing for years as he served in the Army with my best friend’s ex.
“One day, we’d decided to go for a , just the two of us.
“Over steaming mugs and hours of chat, we discovered we had loads in common. Steve had a daughter, and I had a son.
“We were both devoted to our kids, and we were adventurous types who loved and hiking. And soon, we both fancied each other rotten.
“As well as being easy on the eye, I’d learnt Steve was fiercely loyal, ambitious and unfailingly supportive.
“He always wanted the best for himself, the kids and for me. In truth, he was everything I’d been looking for.”
Realising that Steve was the man for her, Jennifer posted a photo of the two of them together on .
Only for all hell to break loose an hour later.
Jennifer says: “There were the usual congratulations from friends and family, then I noticed a comment from a woman that I didn’t know.
“As I used my to promote my beauty , it was a public account, open for anyone to see.
“’When did this happen?’ this stranger had written. ‘We’ve been together for six months.’ My heart dropped into my shoes.”
One victim claimed to be married to Steve and even produced a marriage certificate
Steve appeared on Bear Grylls Wild Reckoning and Discovery’s Naked & Afraid
A screenshot shows a message from one of the scammer’s victimsCredit: Supplied
Stunned, Jennifer showed the comment to Steve, who told her he had been receiving the messages for a few months now.
She recalls: “Though I’d never had any reason to doubt him, I’d have been an idiot not to be suspicious.
“He told me that someone had been stealing his photos and using them online to scam people.
“He said that strangers kept contacting him, saying they were him. At first, I wasn’t entirely convinced. I’d never even heard of romance scams.
“But I clicked on the woman’s profile and up popped her pictures. She was a good 40 years older than me.
“Surely a pensioner wasn’t the first choice for buff, 33-year-old Steve to cheat on me with? I searched ‘romance fraud’ online and, sure enough, all the tactics were there.
“Apparently, scammers, usually from West , stole servicemen’s photos from their social media accounts and pretended to be them.
The scammers must have stolen millions using Steve’s identity
“That way, it was easier to explain why they couldn’t meet or video call their victims while fleecing them for all they could get.”
Jennifer replied to the comment, telling the woman she had been speaking to a scammer rather than her partner.
“But the woman scorned came back burning with rage, insisting that Steven was hers,” says Jennifer.
“She told me she knew where I lived, and said she was going to burn my house down. I kept trying to explain it had nothing to do with us, but she just wouldn’t listen.
“Eventually, I found the details of where she worked from her account and sent a message asking her employer to have a word.
“I didn’t know what else to do. I felt for any elderly person being scammed, but I wouldn’t sit back while someone threatened my family.”
‘Woman sent me marriage certificate’
The elderly woman was far from the only victim, with scammers going to great lengths to dupe those they had targeted in the hope of conning them out of cash.
“The scammers must have stolen millions using Steve’s identity,” Jennifer adds.
“One woman in a scam support group was taken for over £375,000 and lost her home.
Jennifer explained that scammers occasionally stole Steve’s full name and other times they used different ones.
She says: “The victims sent me pictures of fake military ID cards with Steve’s picture superimposed on.
“They thought I was dead, believing that Steve had been a widower, while others believed I was a drug addict that he had escaped from.
“One woman had even bought an engagement ring on Steve’s behalf with the promise from scammers that he would pay her back.”
That wasn’t the worst of it, as one woman contacted Jennifer, telling her they had, in fact, married Steve.
She explains: “One woman messaged me, sending me a picture of a certificate.
“I responded to many of the messages explaining that Steve’s pictures had been stolen.
How to protect yourself from scams
BY keeping these tips in mind, you can avoid getting caught up in a scam:
- Firstly, remember that if something seems too good to be true, it normally is.
- Check brands are “verified” on Facebook and Twitter pages – this means the company will have a blue tick on its profile.
- Look for grammatical and spelling errors; fraudsters are notoriously bad at writing proper English. If you receive a message from a “friend” informing you of a freebie, consider whether it’s written in your friend’s normal style.
- If you’re invited to click on a URL, hover over the link to see the address it will take you to – does it look genuine?
- To be on the really safe side, don’t click on unsolicited links in messages, even if they appear to come from a trusted contact.
- Be careful when opening email attachments too. Fraudsters are increasingly attaching files, usually PDFs or spreadsheets, which contain dangerous malware.
- If you receive a suspicious message then report it to the company, block the sender and delete it.
- If you think you’ve fallen for a scam, report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or use its online fraud reporting tool .
“Sometimes, I’d get a response that broke my heart, from devastated women who then apologise that they had been so stupid.
“Mostly, though, the people getting in touch refused to believe me. Instead, they were furious at me for stealing their man.
“I know it’s him, we have a baby together, one delusional victim insisted, sending me a picture of Steve with his very real daughter.
“I wasn’t sure how these hordes of people found my social media accounts, but the messages and comments across , Facebook and Instagram were relentless. But while I got at least 10 a week, Steve got that many a day.”
Steve has done everything he can to stop the scammers, going on TikTok daily to explain the situation, and posting his picture to scam awareness social media groups, explaining no one should trust it if they saw it.
While he was sympathetic to the victims at first he admits his patience is waning.
Steve, who runs the survival business South West Survival, added: “At least 10 people a day contact me.
“This has been going on for seven years. People get in touch saying they thought I was moving to to marry them and calling me a liar, all sorts. I’ve been threatened with being beat up, shot and killed.
“I was sympathetic at the start, but some people don’t want to be helped.”
Meanwhile, Jennifer says she refuses to be intimidated by her husband’s many admirers.
Jennifer adds: “Steve has stopped posting pictures with his little girl online because he doesn’t want to drag her into it. But we refused to stop sharing pictures of the two of us.
“Most of my business comes from social media, and Steve deserves the same freedom as anyone else.”
Eventually, Jennifer was even targeted by scammers from the fake Steven Kelly accounts.
She says: “One woman video called me, as my business number was online, holding up a picture of Steve to the phone.
“My camera’s frozen,” said a thick foreign accent.
Jennifer says: “I turned the phone to show Steve sat next to me, and the line disconnected.”
‘I worry for the future’
But away from the chaos created by scammers, Jennifer and Steven are blissfully happy.
She says: “Two years ago, the man with thousands of partners across the world vowed I was the only one for him when we got married.
“Having now been together for seven years, Steve and I are more in love than ever.
“Sadly, lots of other people feel the same about my husband. If you search Steve’s name, hundreds of fake social media pages come up, with more being created all the time.
“We’re both contacted daily by victims. We’ve twice reported what’s happening to Report Fraud, but nothing has been done.
“The victims are both men and women, but tend to be older and vulnerable. Some have lost their partners, others suffer mental or physical disabilities.”
I was sympathetic at the start, but some people don’t want to be helped
Steven Kelly
Jennifer admits she worries that things will only get worse.
“I worry for the future,” she says.
“As Al gets more sophisticated, scammers can make videos where anyone does or says anything, making their lies even more convincing.
“But Steve and I now realise there’s only so much we can do. We no longer engage with the continuing daily messages and just block them.
“Instead, we’re calling on social media platforms to protect the vulnerable from fake accounts.
“A simple measure like ID verification would stop all of this. Until then, I want the world to know that this wonderful man is mine and mine alone.”
Fabulous contacted Report Fraud for a comment.
Steve regularly addresses the fact that his pictures are stolen but people accuse him of lying
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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