A story from my private e mail box - British-Filipino.com
A story for all of you, that how thankful we are that this kind of thing did not happen to any of us.
I received an e mail just now from Richard who lives in Middlesborough, he has allowed me to publish the contents of his email as a warning to any of you out there who may have suspicions about their girl.
Richard met Maricel in Surigao del Sur, they met at FH and had been talking online for about 6 months when Richard went out to meet her.
Richard never suspected anything untoward about his beautiful girlfriend, even though he was introduced to her brother Manny, he just thought it was all a loving family.
Anyway, Richard fell in love with Maricel and they agreed to marry, Richard bought Maricel all the usual things, a top end cellphone with camera, and began sending her a reasonably generous allowance of P20,000 Per month.
After the wedding in the Philippines, everything seemed to be fine, the marriage visa finally came through ok, and about 3 months ago, Maricel landed in London's Terminal 3 aboard our very well known Cathay Pacific.
Richard could not believe how nice Maricel had changed, when they met in the arrivals hall, (done it many times as you all know) she seemed different, she had dyed her hair in a rather strange way, her hair was browny colour, Richard did not like it, and she seemed not to be the same person.
All the way back to Middlesborough, she was quiet, nothing Richard did helped, in fact all the tell tale signs were there, if he looked hard enough, the problem is, when you don't know what is wrong, there is little you can do about it.
Anyone who is married to a Filipina will have been through this, mood swings can often make a British husband think she hates him, but Richard was determined to pesevere.
After a week, she was worse, did not want to go out, did not want to meet his parents, would not go anywhere, scowled at him night and day.
She behaved in such a way that he often felt like throttling her or garotting her with a shoe lace, but as I said, Rich pesevered and tried to do as much as he could to make Maricel happy.
After booking a week off work to stay with Maricel at home, he had no choice but to return to work, now it was even worse, when he came home from work, Maricel had been hanging on to the curtains, watching through the window, and seemed pleased to see Richard when he got home, but still she made his life unbearable.
Often he would ask her questions about life, was she sick, maybe even home sick, because that seemed the most plausible situation.
Maricel often cried at night, and Richard suggested she call her family for support, she gladly did this, when Richard suggested he buy her a phone card her eyes lit up.
Days went by and she was calling more and more on the phone cards, he must have been spending 50 to 60 pounds per week, although he suggested VOIP her family could not get to a cafe, or have a PC at home.
Whenever he came home, Maricel would be chatting away in her own dialect, and of course like many of us, he could not detect anything unusual in her chatting, other than the fact that whenever he asked who was on the other end, it was always her brother.
Maricel had always professed a close relationship with her brother, since it was he who had looked after her when she was young.
Richard thought nothing of it at the time, other than often wondering why she would be on the phone all the time, and kind of realized that this relationship might not be what it seemed.
Finally, he succumbed to the fact, that if you think something is not quite right, then it probably isn't healthy.
He was researching on the net when he decided he had to know what was being said, although warned not to do this, he decided to buy a telephone recording device to fit to his BT Phone, and promptly did this while Maricel was playing bingo with a Filipina she met downtown.
On the Monday when he went to work, Maricel would be up to her old tricks again of getting on the phone and chatting to her loving brother.
Unknown to Maricel, every word she spoke during a 1 hour conversation was being secretly recorded in another room, it was not long before Rich arrived home, and when Maricel was out again, as she had frequently started meeting other Filipinas who worked as Nurses, he decided to find out exactly what was being said.
His 1st port of call was a Nurse whose husband was also a Brit, he asked her to review the contents of the taped conversation to find out if he should have any concerns whatsoever.
His friend gladly listened intently to the opening remarks, when his Nurse friend finally told him the truth, he could not believe what he was hearing.
Maricel's so called brother was in fact her Filipino lover, whom she had been with for years, they had concocted a plan to get themselves out of poverty, and Maricel had been pushed into meeting a foreigner for the purposes of marriage, and eventually financial support.
On the tape, Maricel complained to the Filipino boyfriend that she could not keep up the act, and that Richard was already suspicious, the plan was for her to live in UK for 2 years and get indefinate leave to remain, then she would divorce the husband, and go back to Philippines and bring her boyfriend back on a Fiancee visa.
By this time she would have a good job and could support him, after all her Filipina barkada would help her.
Richard just sat open mouthed and could not believe the story as it unfolded, he put all the peices together and finally the jigsaw puzzle came together, again he was shellshocked.
Richard has asked me to relate this story to the forum, as he has been on the forum before, but does not want to be indentified as a user, he also used my website to go through the marriage and visa process.
He is devastated, and last month, he packed up Maricels things in 2 suitcases, and threw her on the street, Maricel called the Police, but when they came they did nothing other than to say, that the property was Richards, and that they could not interfere, as far as he knows Maricel is living rough with a couple of other Filipinas in a bedsit.
He has told me that he has been in touch with the Home Office, and has given them a full written account of the story, and left the matter with them
He tells me he is about £10,000 out of pocket in expenses, for the flights, holidays, wedding, gifts to family, cash, jewelry, and a Motor Cycle gift for the so cold loving brother.
And said, he often laments on how could this have happened to him, and that until she arrived in UK he had no idea of what would follow.
He is waiting for 12 months to pass so that he can instigate a divorce proceeding and is taking legal advice from a firm of solicitors regarding a possible immigration scam.
I am sure you will all join me in wishing him well, Richard has told me to tell all the readers here, he is not bitter towards anyone, but say's he just wanted to share this story, to say that he hopes it happens to no one else.
On reading between the lines, I can only say as a moderator what I always say in these situations.
If something looks too good to be true, it normally isn't and if you suspect something is not quite right, your suspicions are on the whole correct.
Originally Posted by ginapeterb
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Very Sad Story....I feel sorry about what happened to Richard...May God give you strength to overcome this...I know someday there's a better and wonderful life waiting for you...
