Latest news with #Fabien
Daily Record
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Man travels 500 miles to meet beauty queen and 'future wife' - before discovering sad truth
Michel, 76, from Belgium, believed he was about to meet the 'love of his life,' famous model Sophie Vouzeland. A lovestruck man was left dumbfounded after a 500-mile journey to meet a beauty queen ended in the discovery that he had been catfished. Michel, a 76 year old from Belgium, believed he was on his way to meet his ' soulmate ', the renowned model Sophie Vouzeland. However, upon arriving at her residence in Saint-Julien, France, he was met by her husband, Fabien, instead. The smitten senior announced himself as her " future husband", only to be shocked when the man at the door said: "Well, I'm the current one." Michel had been under the impression that he was communicating with the 2007 Miss France runner-up via WhatsApp. Convinced of their bond, Michel had even transferred a whopping £25,000 as a loan to someone he thought was Sophie, reports the Mirror. The couple took to social media to share a poignant video of their encounter with Michel, hoping to raise awareness about romance fraud. In the footage, a disheartened Michel admits: "I think she played a dirty trick on me. I am an imbecile." He proceeded to show Fabien the messages they had exchanged. "My wife, no, it's the fake accounts," Fabien clarified. "You have to be very careful." The video was uploaded to Instagram with a caption expressing sympathy for Michel: "I feel so sorry for this man. Watch out for fake accounts. I'm sharing this video to show you it's real and to be vigilant! Take care of yourself." Sophie, who is expecting a baby with Fabien, expressed that the incident "hurts my heart". The scam has since sparked reactions on social media, with users finding it alarming that their address was known. One individual warned: "Let us all be vigilant! Fake accounts and scams suck." Another sympathised: "Poor Sophie in the middle of this being pregnant. Fingers crossed this doesn't happen again and ends well. Cheer up to both of you." Grateful for the support, Sophie replied in the comments: "Thank you, it's not easy." A third shared their astonishment: "Oh crazy what a story! Poor gentleman. It's horrible to know that there are still people scamming people. I hope it won't happen again and that you can live your life peacefully." One more person highlighted the risks of online exposure: "The danger of social networks. But I'm surprised how he could get your address. It's absolutely not normal."
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Man travels 500 miles to meet beauty queen and 'future wife' - then grim truth unravels
Beauty queen Sophie Vouzeland was left stunned when a pensioner turned up to her home in France claiming to be her 'future husband'. Her real husband delivered a shattering truth A man who thought he had fallen head over heels for a beauty queen was left shocked after he travelled almost 500 miles to meet her and realised he had been catfished. Michel, 76, from Belgium, thought he was about to meet the 'love of his life,' famous model Sophie Vouzeland. But when he arrived at her home in Saint-Julien, France, he was greeted by her husband, Fabien. The besotted pensioner declared he was her "future husband", and was stunned when the homeowner responded: "Well, I'm the current one." Michel was under the belief that he had been speaking to the 2007 Miss France runner-up on WhatsApp. He was convinced that their connection was real and had even sent a staggering £25,000 as a loan tot he woman he believed to be Sophie. The beauty queen's real husband Fabien posted a heartbreaking video of the moment on social media, sharing their conversation in the hopes that others will be more prepared to spot a romance scam. In the clip, Michel said: "I think she played a dirty trick on me. I am an imbecile." He went on to show Fabien their text exchange. "My wife, no, it's the fake accounts," stressed Fabien. "You have to be very careful." He posted the video on Instagram with the caption: "I feel so sorry for this man. Watch out for fake accounts. I'm sharing this video to show you it's real and to be vigilant! Take care of yourself." Sophie, who is expecting a baby with Fabien, said the incident "hurts my heart". Social media users have since responded to the scam and said it is "scary" that people knew their address. One person said: "Let us all be vigilant! Fake accounts and scams suck." Another commented: "Poor Sophie in the middle of this being pregnant. Fingers crossed this doesn't happen again and ends well. Cheer up to both of you." In response, Sophie said in the comment section: "Thank you, it's not easy." A third person wrote: "Oh crazy what a story! poor gentleman. It's horrible to know that there are still people scamming people. I hope it won't happen again and that you can live your life peacefully." Another person said: "The danger of social networks. But I'm surprised how he could get your address. It's absolutely not normal." Someone else chimed in: "And he had the address. This is scary."
The Sun
3 days ago
- The Sun
Lovestruck man travels 500 miles to meet beauty queen ‘he believed was his ‘future wife'… to be greeted by her husband
A LOVESTRUCK man travelled nearly 500 miles to meet a beauty queen he had been talking to online - only to be greeted by her husband. Unlucky Belgian man Michel had turned up at Sophie Vouzeland's home in Saint-Julien, France, and announced he was her "future husband". 6 6 6 But Sophie's actual husband Fabien emerged from the home and quipped: "Well, I'm the current one." Stunning Sophie is a former Miss Limousin and 2007 Miss France runner-up. She boasts nearly 300,000 followers on Instagram alone and often posts her life on social media. 76-year-old Michel thought he had been speaking on WhatsApp to the beauty queen for weeks - and had even transferred an eye-watering £25,000 which he thought was just a loan. Michel is heard saying: "I think she played a dirty trick on me." The shocked man then shows Sophie's husband the many messages he and, who he thought was the French model, had exchanged. Fabien responded: "My wife, no, it's the fake accounts. "You have to be very careful." It didn't take long before Michel realised he had sadly been scammed, telling the couple: "I am an imbecile." Husband Fabien videoed some of the exchange and posted it to social media where it has garnered thousands of views. My boy, 14, thought he was innocently flirting with a girl online – 35-minutes later he was dead He also wrote a warning on the post about the dangers of romance scams. This is where someone is deceived into sending cash to a criminal who convinces them they're in an actual relationship. Fabien said in the post: "I feel so sorry for this man. "Watch out for fake accounts, I'm sharing this video to show you it's real and to be vigilant! Take care of yourself." Belgian man Michel is thought to be a widower of four years and was looking for love - but was heinously scammed. Sophie urged the deceived man to go to the cops to lodge a complaint. It remains unclear whether he has or not. The beauty queen expressed her sympathy for Michel and said the incident "hurts my heart". 6
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Scam victim travels 500 miles to find French beauty Queen ‘lover' is married
A Belgian man travelled nearly 500 miles to meet a French beauty queen who he thought was his future wife – only to find out that he had been the victim of a romance scam. The man, who called himself Michel, turned up at the home of Sophie Vouzelaud, in Saint-Julien and announced: 'I am the future husband of Sophie Vouzelaud.' Her husband, Fabien, came out and said to Michel: 'Well, I'm the current one.' Ms Vouzelaud is a former Miss Limousin and Miss France 2007 runner-up. She has nearly 300,000 followers on Instagram and posts frequently about her life on social media. Michel, 76, believed that he had been speaking on WhatsApp to the French model for weeks and had even sent £25,000 – which he thought was going to be paid back. 'I think she played a dirty trick on me,' Michel said. In desperation, Michel showed the husband his phone, and the string of messages exchanged between himself and the person he believed to be Ms Vouzelaud. 'My wife, no, it's the fake accounts,' Fabien replied. 'You have to be very careful.' Soon, Michel realised that he had been swindled, and told the couple: 'I am an imbecile.'
BBC News
4 days ago
- BBC News
Romance scam victim travels 700km 'to marry French beauty queen'
A Belgian man has travelled 760km (472 miles) to meet a French beauty queen he had been led to believe would be his future wife, only to realise he had been a victim of online romance 76, turned up at the home of Sophie Vouzelaud in France but was met by the model's told Ms Vouzelaud's husband, Fabien, he had paid €30,000 ($35,000) to the scammers and thought he had been in a romantic relationship for several weeks."I am an imbecile," the man said to the couple as he contemplated taking the long journey back. Michel's misadventure became known after a video of his unfortunate encounter with the couple was shared online by weeks, the Belgian - a widower of four years - had been communicating on WhatsApp with who he thought was Ms Vouzelaud, former Miss Limousin and first runner-up to Miss France in turned up outside the couple's property in Saint-Julien, some 420km (270 miles) south of Paris, on 9 July and according to Fabien said: "I am the future husband of Sophie Vouzelaud", to which he retorted: "Well, I'm the current one."Ms Vouzelaud, 38, then tried to explain to him that he had been swindled and the couple urged him to go to the police to file a complaint. It is not clear if he has done fraud is when someone is conned into sending money to a criminal who convinces them they are in a genuine relationship. How to avoid romance scams According to Action Fraud, signs of romance fraud include a person being secretive about their relationship or becoming hostile or angry when asked about their online may have sent, or be planning to send, money to someone they have never met in for protecting yourself against scams includes:Be suspicious of any requests for money from someone you have never met in person, particularly if you have only recently met onlineSpeak to your family or friends to get adviceProfile photos may not be genuine, so do your research first. Performing a reverse image search using a search engine can help you find photos that have been stolen from somewhere elseAdvice for supporting a victim of a scam includes:Reassure your loved one you are there for them and it is not their faultImprove your own understanding about romance scamsRemember to look after yourself, too - supporting someone through romance fraud can be toughSource: Action Fraud / Victim Support
